Persona: Renaissance
by DemigodWitch96
Summary: When a mass outbreak of people like the Lost emerges after over three decades after the sealing of Nyx on Port Island, it leaves the Shadow Operatives without any leads. The only clues all seem to lead to the same source, a new MMORPG dubbed the Anima Legend. History seems to be repeating itself, this time with the next generation. Second Gen P3/4. Slightly AU.
1. I: The Moonlit School

**PERSONA: RENAISSANCE**

**Chapter I**

**The Moonlit School**

* * *

_Wednesday, 05 April, 2043. _

Sunlight streamed through a window, landing on a queen sized bed with a lump under the covers.

The door flew open and a blue and brown blur lands on the lump, eliciting a low moan of pain.

"Up, up!" a high-pitched voice chanted, the owner, a six year old brown haired and hazel eyed little girl.

A groan.

The girl pouted. "Onii-chaaaaaaaaaan," she drew out. "Mama says to get up!"

The lump started to move and the girl giggled as she tumbled backwards, doing a somersault, as the lump poked out, revealing a teenage boy with a thin face and sandy brown hair messy from sleep, the bangs falling into dark brown eyes still glazed with sleep.

"Okay, okay, I'm up," he groaned. "You can go now, Kairi."

"Noooope~!" the girl sang as her face broke out into a grin, revealing a gap. "You're not up until you're out of bed!"

"...Fine," was the reply.

The boy dragged himself out of bed, revealing a white sleeping shirt and gray sweats.

"See ya downstairs, Riku!" Kairi chirped, before speeding out of the room.

Riku let out a tired groan, rubbing at his eyes.

"I see that Kairi got to you before your alarm clock did," an amused voice remarked. "Good thing she did, though. The traffic is supposed to be pretty hectic this morning."

Riku turned to see the owner of the voice, his father, Amada Ken, who was leaning on the door frame. His brown hair was styled neatly. He was dressed in a suit as usual.

"Morning, Dad," Riku said sleepily. He moved to flick the switch on his alarm clock off.

"Morning," his father replied. "You should hurry up. Gekkoukan starts at seven thirty."

"Okay, okay."

Riku went to his dresser where his school uniform was resting. A black blazer with the school logo placed on the right. A white dress shirt. Black slacks.

"I'll see you downstairs," his father chuckled.

* * *

After preparing for the day and getting dressed, Riku hurried down the stairs, which led to the living room, where the Amada family convened for meals.

The kitchen was conjoined to the room through a door.

Kairi was kneeling on her usual cushion at the table, eyeing the miso soup already laid out. His little sister was dressed in her school uniform, a blue and white sailor fuku. Her blouse was white with a blue neckerchief and collar. Her brown hair was pulled into pigtails, decorated with blue ribbons. Her pleated skirt was also blue.

Riku sat down next to his little sister and she flashed him a toothy grin. Riku smiled at her before reaching out to tousle her pigtails, mussing it a bit. Kairi swatted at him, an indignant look on her face.

Riku looked down at the table. Today was going to be his first day at Gekkoukan High, since his family had been gone for nearly an entire year. So... it was like he was a transfer student, even though he had lived on Tatsumi Port Island for most of his life.

"What's the matter, Riku?" Kairi asked.

"Oh, I'm just thinking about school," Riku said.

Gekkoukan High School was built over forty years ago, yet it was a quite rich school, due to it being built and supported by the Kirijo Group.

"What about school?" Kairi blinked in confusion.

Riku grimaced. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it."

He heard shuffling behind him.

"G'morning," yawned Haru, the middle Amada child. He had the same hair color as Riku and their father, but his eyes were gray, like their maternal grandfather's. He was dressed in the middle school uniform, a black jacket with gold buttons and black slacks. He was wearing black socks, as the dress shoes were waiting by the door.

"Morning, Haru!" chirped Kairi.

"It's too early to be cheerful," Haru said irritatedly.

"Careful, Haru," Riku said blandly. "Or you might turn out to be as bitter and cranky as Shinjiro-san."

"How about you tell that to Shinjiro-san the next time we see him?" Haru retorted.

Their father entered the room, ruffling Haru's hair as he passed the younger Amada boy.

"Riku, don't tease your brother," he rebuked Riku.

The door leading to the kitchen was pushed open and out stepped the Amada siblings' mother, Amada Nanako. She was carrying a tray with cups and bowls of rice and plates of fried fish.

"Breakfast is ready," she announced, completely oblivious to the conversation that was cut short.

She walked over to the table and started to pass the food out. When she finished, she took a seat next to her husband.

"Let's eat!" Kairi cheered.

"Yes, yes," their mother laughed.

It was quiet for a few moments, until Ken broke the silence.

"Do you know how to get to the station for the monorail?"

"Yes, Dad," Riku sighed as he gulped down some of the miso soup in his bowl.

"What about the elementary school?"

"Dad, I still remember how to get there," Haru said. "Don't worry, I'm going to make sure Kairi gets to her classroom before going to the junior high."

Kairi pouted. "I'm not a baby anymore! I'm six now, Papa!"

"Yes, and that makes you ancient," Haru said in a monotone.

"Nyah!" Kairi turned to stick her tongue at him.

"Ken, they'll be fine," their mother said with a sigh. "Stop worrying."

After hastily finishing his breakfast, Riku grabbed his lunch on the counter, went upstairs to fetch his backpack, and stood by the door. Haru was the next to finish and then Kairi.

"Bye Mom, Dad!" Riku shouted.

"Have a good day at school!" was his mother's reply.

"'Kay!" Riku shouldered his bag before pulling open the door. He waited for his siblings to go outside before following them, shutting the door behind him.

"I can't wait for school!" Kairi exclaimed, excitedly jumping up and down. "Let's go, Big Bro, nii-chan!"

"Okay, okay," Riku laughed. He turned to Haru, who was quieter than usual. He frowned. Haru was always so quiet. "You all right, Haru?"

"I'm... fine," Haru said quietly. "Just nervous about middle school..."

"Hey," Riku nudged him in the arm, "you'll be okay. Middle school just means you get more teachers."

"...And more teachers that think you belong to the fifth grade," Haru mumbled out.

"It's okay, Haru," Riku reassured him. "I was short when I was your age, too. Besides, if you're slow to grow now, you usually will shoot up a lot later."

"Shorter than you are now?"

Riku cuffed his shoulder. "Hey, I'm trying to cheer you up!"

Haru managed a smile. "You really think that'll happen?"

Riku cracked a grin. "It happened with both Dad and Mom. It's nothing to worry about."

"Really?" Haru noticeably perked up. He then stared past Riku. "Uhhhh... Riku... where's Kairi?"

Riku whipped around, mentally cursing to himself; Kairi was nowhere to be seen. "Sh...oot," he belatedly corrected himself. "Come on, Haru, we've gotta find Kairi!"

Riku bolted down the driveway and Haru was huffing behind him.

He turned around the corner as he reached the end of the block. If anything happened to Kairi... both of his parents would be out for his hide. Aha. Ahahahahaha.

"Hiya!" he heard his little sister's chirping voice. Riku wanted to bash his head against the wall. His little sister's overfriendliness was going to be the death of him. She was talking to a high schooler; Riku vaguely recognized the uniform as one of Gekkoukan's sport rival schools. Tokai maybe?

Riku checked behind him; Haru had finally caught up to him, gasping for air.

Riku sighed before walking over to Kairi. The high schooler was... odd, to put it lightly. Her skin was so pale that it was pasty. Her black hair was oily and limp, her dark eyes dull. Her uniform was unkempt and wrinkled. The only sounds coming out of her mouth were dragged out groans.

"C-Come on, Kairi," Haru got out, grabbing her hand. "Let's get outta here."

* * *

It was official.

She was lost.

"This map is useless," Shiori huffed, as she examined the map in her hands. "And I can't even read the words...!"

This was just great; she was going to be late on the first freaking day and her mom was gonna be pissed when (there was no if) the school called home. Shiori was shocked when the letter had arrived at her house, telling her that she was chosen to take part in the cultural exchange. Shiori had burst out laughing when she saw where Gekkoukan High was located – Tatsumi Port Island. When her friends, Amagi Touya and Tatsumi Mikoto had come over to her house, she told them that she was going to Mikoto's island.

...Mikoto was not pleased.

"...many times have I told you not to run off by yourself?" A trio of brown haired students were rounding a corner. Even at a distance, it was pretty obvious that they were siblings. The shortest was a girl with brown hair in pigtails and hazel eyes dressed in a sailor fuku. She was pretty cute like a lot of little kids were. The second tallest had neat sandy brown hair and gray eyes. He looked... eh... nine or ten? And the tallest... had the same outfit as Gekkoukan's.

"Yesssssss!" she cheered, pumping the air. "I won't be late today and look like an idiot!"

"'m sorry," the girl mumbled.

"Kairi, I'm not mad," sighed the speaker, the taller of the boys. He looked around Shiori's height. "I just telling you this so you won't get hurt..."

Shiori shook her head, slapping her cheeks to snap herself to attention. She had to get his attention somehow so...

"OI!" Shiori hollered at the top of her lungs. "YOU WITH THE MIDGETS!"

The trio jumped, whipping around to look for her.

Shiori set her skateboard down, tucked the map under her arm, and glided over to them. She pulled to a stop, hopping off, planting one hand on her hip, grabbing the map with the other.

"Can I help you?" the brown eyed boy asked dryly.

"You're a local, aren't ya?" Shiori shoved the map in his hands. "That map isn't helping me at all!"

"Probably because the map is sideways," the shorter boy noted.

Eh?

"Hey, Big Bro, she's wearing the same outfit as yours!" the girl exclaimed, pointing at Shiori.

"And you called me a local," the older boy recalled. "You're a transfer student, aren't you?"

"Aha. Ahahahahaha..." Shiori rubbed the back of her head. "Yeah... What of it?"

She expected to get some ribbing from students because she was from the country and blah blah blah.

"Nii-san, we're going to miss the monorail if we don't hurry," the gray eyed boy said quietly.

The taller boy pulled out his phone, turning it on to check the time. "You're right, Haru." He stuck the device in his bag, grabbing the little girl's hand. "C'mon, we're running."

"Not again," he moaned.

* * *

The run wasn't too bad, though the boy, Haru, was huffing and puffing by the time they reached the monorail stop.

"Do you have a pass?" the older boy asked.

"A... pass?" Shiori squeaked.

"It's not a big deal if you don't have one," the little girl piped up. "You just need to pay two hundred yen!"

Shiori sighed before reaching into her bag for her wallet. She drew out two one-hundred yen coins.

Soon after, the monorail pulled in, and they were allowed to board.

The monorail was pretty nice, with carpeted flooring and cushioned seats. Haru collapsed into the nearest seat.

The boy whose name she didn't know sighed. "You really need to start exercising more if a five minute run winds you like this."

"...Be quiet, Riku," was the response.

The little girl hopped next to him, bouncing a little on the seat.

He took a seat opposite of him and Shiori claimed the seat to the right of his.

"Sooooo, you go to Gekkoukan High, too, right?" Shiori asked.

"That's right," answered the boy. "Oh, I'm Amada Riku. And these are my siblings, Haru and Kairi."

He didn't seem to make many alterations to the school uniform, though he kept a couple buttons undone and there was some silver chain around his neck. It was tucked under his shirt, so Shiori couldn't see if it even had a pendant. He had a slim build to him, not exactly scrawny, but definitely not muscular. His brown hair was tousled, the longest strands stopping at his jawline.

Shiori grinned. "Nice to meet ya! I'm Hanamura Shiori. So we're gonna be classmates, huh?"

"Mmmm."

The monorail started up and Shiori was nearly unbalanced by the sudden jerking.

The younger boy's eyebrows rose at that. "Have you ever not ridden a train?"

"Um, not a monorail," Shiori replied. She kept her eyes on the floor. "My hometown's really small..."

"Our mommy's from a small town too!" the little girl exclaimed, a sunny smile on her face. "And Grandpa Ryo still lives there!"

"It's nothing to be ashamed of," Amada said. "Frankly, it's ridiculous to have ride a train to school every day. The novelty will wear off soon enough."

"Ahahahaha..." Shiori rubbed the nape of her neck. "It's just weird, since I'm so used to just having to walk to school."

...Well, running most of the time since Shiori liked sleeping in as much as possible, but they didn't need to know that.

"What's your hometown even called?" the younger Amada boy asked.

He couldn't answer because the intercom crackled to life.

_"First stop, Genji Elementary and Middle School!"_

"Bye-bye, Big Bro!" the little girl said brightly as the monorail pulled to a stop. Her older brother unbuckled himself before standing up.

"See you two," Amada said, smiling gently at them. "You know Mom's picking you up today, right?"

"Uh huh!" Kairi pulled her backpack from the seat. "Bye!"

She then darted off, with her older brother running after her and calling out to slow down.

Amada watched them go, following their movements from the window, now smiling amusedly.

The train waited for another three minutes before they took off again.

After they left, Shiori remarked, "They're both cute. Your brother's awfully quiet though."

Amada shrugged. "It takes a while for Haru to open up, that's all."

"How old are they...? Your sister looks six-ish. And your brother is, what, ten?"

"...Twelve," Amada corrected with a heavy sigh. "Just... don't mention that in front of him. He's sensitive about that."

...Jeez.

"Oh please," Shiori scoffed. "You're just babying him that way."

Amada deadpanned, "He's twelve."

"Still." Shiori leaned back, resting her hands behind her head. "You're too soft."

"I happen to like having a soft center," Amada droned.

Shiori snickered. So he did have some sense of humor... other than mocking her sense of direction.

The train was slowing down. "Hey, are we there...?"

"No," Amada said with a shake of his head. "The monorail makes two stops before our destination. The first is for the conjoined elementary and middle schools. The other is for students who live a little closer to Gekkoukan."

Shiori slumped in her seat. Just great.

The train was now at the stop. "Second stop, Iwatodai Station!"

A handful of students were filing inside, chattering about their spring breaks or something.

"Riku-kun!"

Amada jumped a little. A blue haired girl with blue eyes was approaching them, a very pink bag on her shoulder.

"Hinata-san..." Amada looked surprised.

She had an air of charisma, like how Shiori's Uncle Yu - well, technically he was her godfather, but Shiori called all of her parents' closest friends Uncle or Aunt - had. Her deep blue hair was pulled in a side plait, tied with a bright red ribbon. Her bangs reached past her chin, curving in. A pale pink scarf was knotted around her neck. She had a pink, almost magenta cardigan on instead of the black blazer. She was also rather short.

...Oddly, she somewhat reminded Shiori of her friend, Mikoto. It must be the hair. Not too many people had blue hair, after all.

"I didn't know that you were back from America!" the girl continued as she came closer to him. How was it?"

Amada shrugged. "It was fine. It's more lenient when it came to school. We only go to school five days a week and our summer break was longer."

Wait, what?

"Lucky," she sighed. "Anyways, do you need someone to show you around Gekkou? I don't mind." Her eyes then fell on Shiori. "Oh! You're one of the exchange program students, aren't you?"

Shiori grinned. "Yeeeep! Hanamura Shiori, at your service!"

The girl gave a short bow. "Well, I'm Arisato Hinata. It's nice to meet you. I'm going to be a second-year."

"Same."

"Wait..." Amada said slowly. "What program are you talking about?"

"Eh?" Arisato blinked in confusion, cocking her head at him. "You didn't know?"

"...Hinata-san, I've been gone since April of last year. What do _you_ think?"

"Okay, okay, I get your point." Arisato held her hands up in a 'calm down' gesture. "It's not that big. Yasogami had been asking for an extended cultural exchange for a few years, since they always go to Port Island once every two years for only two or three days. It was finalized last December. Yoshida-senpai, Miyamoto, and Tomochika went to Yasogami and we received two second-years and one third-year in exchange."

"Only three?" Amada asked, frowning.

"Well, it's an experimental thing," Arisato explained. "So they only picked three students each. They were picked for their athletic skill or their brains, stuff like that."

"So I dunno why they picked me, then," Shiori piped up.

Arisato then started to stare at her. "Wait a minute..." she said slowly. "Hanamura... Hey, aren't you that girl on the Yasogami kendo team? I remember seeing you guys while I was training with the Gymnastics Club."

"Yeah." Shiori braced herself for the usual questions ("Isn't kendo for guys?").

"Oooh, that's cool." Arisato plopped down next to Shiori, shifting her bag from her arm to her lap. "I've seen you in action from a distance. You're really good. I wish that I had something I was really good at."

"What about your art?" Amada asked absentmindedly.

Arisato protested, "I'm not that good!"

"Whatever you say, Hinata-san." He had pulled out a book (it was in English, so it was gibberish to Shiori), and was now reading it.

"Oi!" Shiori snatched the book from him, using it to smack him in the arm. "What are you doing?"

"It's called reading," Amada said blandly. "You should try it some time."

"Riku!" Arisato protested.

"I gave her an answer, didn't I?"

"It's still really mean."

"Well, it amused me."

"Boys," Arisato sighed, finally giving up. She shook her head.

"They're all morons," Shiori agreed.

"Imbeciles," Arisato continued, her blue eyes twinkling.

"Arrogant."

"Obnoxious."

"Are you two done griping about how awful the unfair sex is yet?" Amada asked dryly.

Arisato simply ruffled his hair. "Aw, Riku-kun, are you upset? It's okay, you're cute."

Amada's face flushed. "S-Shut up..." he grumbled out. "I'm not cute..."

"Aren't you shy?" Shiori teased.

"Zip it, Hanamura," Amada growled, his face still red.

Arisato laughed, a clear sound. "Don't mind him, Riku-kun just hates being called cute. He always had, ever since we were kids."

Shiori raised an eyebrow at her. "So how do you two know each other, then?"

Arisato blinked a few times. "Oh, my parents and Riku-kun's dad all work for the Kirijo Group. It's not full time, but we always hung out together when we were dragged to a Kirijo party."

Wait...

"The Kirijo Group?!" Shiori gasped, her mouth falling open. "Isn't the Kirijo family, like, the_ richest_ family in _Japan_?!"

"I wouldn't say that," Amada said. "The Kirijos aren't exactly 'new money' but they're not an old family like the Asakura or Minamoto families."

"Mitsuru-san still likes to go all out with the parties, though," Arisato said thoughtfully, resting her cheek on her propped up arm. "And Gekkoukan's pretty rich, even for a private high school."

Amada shrugged. "I'm just saying."

Arisato craned her neck to look outside the window. "Hey, we're almost here."

"Finally!" Shiori cheered. The monorail was slowing down now and when it pulled to a stop, Shiori hopped to her feet.

As soon as the way was cleared, she made a beeline for the door.

"Hey, Hanamura! Wait up!"

* * *

"Hey, did you hear? Arisato has a_ boy toy_!"

Hinata let out a groan, slapping her forehead. "Ugh, not this again."

"What is it?" Riku asked, puzzled.

Hinata wrinkled her nose. "Rumors spread fast here. By lunch, I bet people are gonna think that we're sleeping together or something."

"Let them," Riku said with a shrug. "Don't let it bother you."

Hinata's cheeks flushed pink. "I-It's not that easy, Riku-kun."

Riku sighed. "Well, maybe it's better that we separate. I need to go to the office to find out my classroom either way."

"Oh!" Hinata smacked her forehead, letting out a nervous laugh. "I totally forgot about that! Ahahahaha..." She pointed in the direction of the entrance. "Okay, you enter the school and go to the hallway to the left. The door is the first on the left. Got it?"

"Yeah." Riku nodded. "Thanks."

Riku stepped inside the school, raising an eyebrow at the seemingly empty hallway. The lighting was also dim.

"There you are!" a voice called out to him. "I've waiting for you."

A girl stepped out in the lighting. She looked Riku's age, more or less. She was a few centimeters shorter than Riku. Her gold hair had a red tint to it, making it strawberry blond. Her bangs were pinned by two barrettes and the rest of her hair was pulled into a short ponytail, barely brushing her shoulders. Her eyes were a bright, intense shade of gold. She was wearing a uniform with no alterations. In her hand was a pen and piece of paper.

"You... have?" Riku frowned, taken aback. "Sorry... but who are you?"

"That isn't important," the girl said with a giggle and a wave of her hand. "But... you need to sign this." She walked closer to him, pressing the items in his hands.

Riku looked at the paper blankly. It looked like some kind of contract...

And was it Riku's imagination or were some of the words glowing? Riku rubbed at his eyes, but the glow stayed. It read:_** I CHOOSETH MY OWN PATH TO TREAD ON.**_

But still, he had to sign, didn't he? Riku clicked the pen and using the wall as a stable place to write, he signed the piece of paper on the dotted line, using his full name.

He turned around and the girl smiled brightly at him as he handed her the paper and pen. The girl... there was something about her that made Riku... wary. It wasn't that she seemed cruel or anything, but... something in the back of his mind nagged at him. Why did Riku feel like he knew her?

Riku shook his head. It had to be a coincidence. She was just a student, someone who helped at the office.

The girl said softly, "I trust that you will take responsibility for any actions you take."

Riku blinked at her, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "What do you mean by that?"

"In all good time, Amada Riku," the girl said, with a flounce of her hair and another giggle. (Why do girls have to laugh that way?) "We will meet again."

The lights then flickered on at its strongest glow, the bright light almost blinding Riku. "Agh!" he groaned, shutting his eyes. After the spots had disappeared from his eyes, he reopened them.

The girl was gone.

...Was that just some bizarre daydream? He must be losing it from the lack of sleep already.

The door swung open and a man with graying dark hair stepped out.

"Can I help you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at Riku.

Riku started. "O-Oh... I'm here to find out my classroom. I'm a second-year."

The man sighed. "You should have received the information weeks ago. The only students I'm expecting are the transfer students."

"U-Uh, well, I was out with my family and I never received it..." Riku mumbled out.

There was just something about the man that was... intimidating.

"Wait, are you that student?" the man asked, his forehead wrinkling with thought. "Amada R..."

"Riku," he corrected.

"I remember now." The man visibly relaxed. "I'm Hidetoshi Odagiri. I teach Composition. Follow me."

Riku followed him into the office, where the office was bustling with activity.

Odagiri plucked a file from a pile and was rifling through it. "Let's see..." His eyes were darting back and forth, as he skimmed the file. He snapped the manila folder shut. "You're in Room 2-B with Hasegawa Saori. You're in good hands with her. The second-year classrooms are up the stairs. Go back to the main lobby and the stairs are to your right."

"Thank you." Riku bowed before backing out of the office, nearly crashing into Hanamura and the boy with her.

Hanamura grabbed him by the shoulders. "Oi, what's your problem?"

"I..." Riku hesitated; why he should dump what he had seen before Odagiri-sensei had come in on her? He barely knew her. He shook his head. "It's nothing."

"If you say so," Hanamura said, looking skeptical.

"Erm... Shiori-chan...?" the boy asked hesitantly.

He was slightly shorter than Riku, about two centimeters. He was strangely pale, though it didn't look sickly pale. He had short, curly dark hair, though it looked neater than most curly hair. His eyes were wide with surprise, and were pale blue; they sat behind oval shaped, black rimmed glasses. Light brown freckles were liberally sprinkled on his pale cheeks and the bridge of his nose. He had a deep blue blazer on, instead of a black jacket, and his socks were royal blue.

"Oh yeah!" Hanamura clapped her hands together. She grabbed the boy by the arm, tugging him to her; he didn't react to it, so he must have been used to the gesture. "Amada, this is Amagi Touya. We've been friends since we were toddlers. Touya-kun, this is Amada Riku. He's pretty cool... when he's not making fun of me and maps."

"Huh?" Amagi blinked in confusion.

"Your friend's sense of direction sucks so bad that she couldn't tell that she was holding her map sideways," Riku said dryly.

"You're so mean to me," Hanamura huffed.

"At least I don't steal other's books," Riku said dryly.

Hanamura blinked a few times before looking down at her hands. "Oh whups! Here!"

She tossed him the book. Riku slipped the book in his bag.

"Anyways, see you." Hanamura smirked playfully at him. "We need to get info for our classrooms and everything."

"See you."

* * *

Riku slid the door to Classroom 2-B open and he stepped inside. He sank into a free desk, propping his arm up, resting his cheek in his hand. He was just glad that he didn't have to be introduced to the class, like most transfer students were.

He tried to ignore the whispers.

"Hey, who's the new kid? Is he one of the exchange students?"

"I hear that he and Arisato are going out!"

"Aw, what? There's no way! Arisato's too hot for him."

One student ran into the room, exclaiming, "The teacher's coming!"

There was a scramble for everyone to find a seat, and some were still looking for a free desk when 2-B's homeroom teacher walked in.

She looked like she was in her early fifties. She was dressed primly, with a gray-blue jacket that cinched at the waist, a teal turtleneck underneath, and a black pencil skirt. She had wavy dark hair that had gray streaks in it, and her eyes were light gray.

"Settle down, everyone," she said. "I am Hasegawa Saori. I teach English and I'm going to be your homeroom teacher. As you know because of the cultural exchange we have with Yasogami High School of Inaba, we received two second-years and one third-year. And we have one of those students in this class." She turned to the door. "You may come inside."

Hanamura walked inside, a nervous expression on her face. She was wringing her hands and fiddling with her uniform.

Hanamura liked gold a lot. Her bangs were pinned back with a gold clip. She also replaced the usual white dress shirt with a pale gold one, with one button undone. She also had both shirts rolled up to her elbows. She kept the black skirt, but instead of dress shoes, she wore black and gold spats.

"Hanamura-san, why don't you introduce yourself?"

Hanamura nodded and then cleared her throat. "I'm Hanamura Shiori!" she said cheerfully. "Uh... My dad runs the Junes department back at Inaba and my mom's a cop back in Inaba? I dunno what to say, ahahahaha... Anyways, it's nice to meet you all!"

...Yep, she was nervous.

"Jeez... I don't think she got picked for her brains..." a student remarked.

"Well, it's not like you got a full ride scholarship here, either," Riku hissed at the person who spoken, shooting them a glare.

"Now then!" Hasegawa-sensei said, clasping her hands together. "We need to find you a seat. Hmm... How about... behind Riku-san. Amada, raise your hand."

Riku raised his hand and Hanamura hurried to her seat. She slammed her forehead on the desk. "I'm such an idiot."

"Just ignore them," was Riku's response. He pulled out a pen and notebook for notes.

"For this week, we're going to be going over concepts that were taught last year..."

* * *

It was the end of the school day. To Riku's relief, he had no problem keeping up with the curriculum so far.

"Soooooo, what kind of stuff can you go grab to eat after school?"

Riku finished placing his supplies in his backpack and zipped it up. "Depends on what you like," he replied. "At the Strip Mall, there's Wild-Duck Burger, Hagakure Ramen, and a beef bowl shop."

Hanamura visibly gasped and Riku turned to look at her. Hanamura's eyes were sparkling and her hands were clasped together.

...She looked like Akihiko-san whenever he was near anything that contained protein.

"They have beef bowls here?!" she exclaimed. "I l-"

She was cut off by the sliding of the classroom door; Hinata and Amagi had arrived and they walked up to them.

"...Shiori-chan, are you okay?" Amagi asked, concern in his eyes.

"Hey, Touya-kun, Arisato!" Hanamura exclaimed. "Let's go get some beef bowls!"

"...Beef bowls?" Hinata echoed. "Wait, how do you know already what kind of food we have...?"

"Amada told me."

Amagi sighed heavily. "...You really shouldn't have done that, Amada-san."

"No?" Riku frowned.

"Shiori-chan is very fond of beef bowls," Amagi said, letting out an awkward laugh.

...Oh jeez. That would explain why she got so excited.

"Beef in any form is delicious," Hanamura huffed. "Beef bowl just happens to be my favorite. Aiya's beef bowls are just the_ best_!"

"Isn't the point of the exchange so you can experience things that weren't in Inaba?" Riku asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"...I'm gonna be here for a year!" Hanamura whined with a childish pout. "Excuuuuse me for wanting some beef bowls!"

"...Some?" Hinata inquired, an alarmed look on her face. "Is your stomach a bottomless pit or what?"

"Tch, I'm not gonna eat like a bird," she scoffed.

...Did she know that birds actually ate a lot, some eating near to their entire weight in one day...?

"Actually," Amagi began, "birds eat-"

"You know what I mean, Touya-kun!" Hanamura cut him off, scowling.

Hinata laughed. "Well, I like Wuck the best. There should be enough meat for you there." She turned around to face Riku. "You coming, Riku-kun?"

Hmmm. Well, his mother_ was_ picking up Haru and Kairi today.

"Sure," Riku said. "Besides, I think you probably don't get English already."

"Shut up!" Hinata swatted him on the shoulder, mock scowling at him. "At least I don't suck at math!"

"Oooh, so you're good at math, Arisato?" Hanamura sidled up to them, throwing an arm around Hinata's shoulders. "Will you lend me a hand?"

"Sure." Hinata grinned. "If you buy for me."

"How could you target me," Hanamura gasped, drawing back, dramatically clutching at her chest. "I'm just a poor country student!"

Riku stared at her blankly. He didn't even know what to think of her.

...But then again, he never understood women. Sure, he was mainly raised by his mother and was taught to respect the fairer sex (by both parents), he was still clueless.

"Shiori-chan, I think you've been spending too much time with Aunt Rise," Amagi said with a sigh.

A smirk appeared on Hanamura's face. "Heh, you say like that's a bad thing!"

Amagi sighed again. "I give up."

"You know you love me!" Hanamura winked at him. "I'm full of... surprises."

...What were those two? They seemed to be good friends but Hanamura seemed like she was...

"Are you two done?" Hinata asked, putting a hand on her hip. "Honestly, if you're gonna flirt with Amagi-kun, Hanamura, do it on your own time."

"Pffffffft!" Hanamura snorted with laughter. "Haha, good one, Arisato! Touya-kun and I are just friends!"

There was a pained expression on Amagi's face but he quickly wiped it away once he noticed that Riku was watching him.

So that's how it was, huh?

"But Arisato's right! Let's get going!"

* * *

After finishing up at Wuck, Riku headed home. Luckily, as it was the first day, there wasn't much homework. He finished that just in time for dinner.

After washing the dishes from dinner, Riku scaled the stairs, ready to shower and go to bed.

"...sure, Nanako?" his father's voice floated from behind his parents' bedroom door.

"I think it was like what you described to me."

"Describe them, then."

"Well... I bumped into the high school student and I apologized, but all they did was stare blankly at them. Their appearance was messy, and all that came out of their mouths were moans. It was like... they were just vegetables."

Ken hissed out a profanity. "Dammit... That sounds like the symptoms of the Apathy Syndrome... I'm going to visit Akihiko tomorrow at the station so he can pass the message on to Mitsuru."

Wait, what was the Apathy Syndrome? It sounded like it was some sort of disease.

And what exactly did his father's senpai have to do with any of this?

"Ken... what does this mean?"

"The Great Seal could be weakening." Riku could practically see his father grimacing. "Maybe Erebus destroyed the Great Seal and Nyx is coming again..."

"You told me once that the number of the Lost would escalate as the full moon draws near," Nanako said thoughtfully. "When's the full moon?"

Ken answered tersely, "Saturday. I hope that Nyx hasn't returned because we can't do anything to stop the Full Moon Shadows... Dammit! I never wanted to deal with Shadows and Personas again... Not after the incident."

What were Shadows...? Riku highly doubted that he was referring to the shadows caused by light. The way he talked hinted that it was something much more sinister.

And Personas... something stirred in the back of his mind at the mention. What was this feeling...?

There was a crash, making Riku nearly jump out of his skin.

"Ken, calm down," his mother's quelling voice said gently. "I know that you're frustrated but you'll alert the children. Please..."

Riku heard enough. He slipped past the door and quietly opened his bedroom door. On his desk was his laptop.

Riku highly doubted it, but he might as well try to look up Shadows. He flipped it open and booted up the device. He then pulled up a web browser and searched Shadows.

The second link caught his eye, since the first was an article defining shadows formed from light.

_In Jungian psychology, the shadow may refer to either the entire unconscious or an unconscious aspect of the personality which the conscious ego does not identify in itself. Because one tends to reject less desirable parts of one's personality, the shadow is largely negative._

Well, that's interesting, but he didn't think that his father would get so worked up over that... What was he worried about?

Riku's eyelids drooped and he let out an involuntary yawn. He felt exhausted from the long day.

After taking a nice hot shower and changing into his pajamas, Riku crawled into bed.

He quickly fell asleep, only to be sucked into a dream.

* * *

Riku was surrounded by blue. He seemed to be in some kind of theater... But he was sitting in the only seat. In addition to that, the stage was lowered compared to its usual position.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room," a voice spoke up, "this place exists between dreams and reality, mind and matter."

It was an old man. He looked rather... eccentric. Riku couldn't help but stare at his abnormally large nose. His white hair was brushed back neatly and he was dressed in a sophisticated way, with a black suit and tie and white gloves covering his spider-like hands. He was sitting on a comfortable looking couch, a table in front of him. A piece of paper laid on the wooden table, a supernatural glow to it.

And he was not alone. A girl, who looked a few years older than Riku, stood at the man's left.

Riku took a double take at her. "Hey, you're that girl!"

"Hmmm?" the man said thoughtfully. "Are you acquainted with my assistant?"

But this time, she was dressed in a dress that matched the color of the room, with the sleeves covering nearly the entire upper arms. White gloves covered her forearms.

The woman giggled, pressing her glove covered hand to her mouth. "I have no idea what our guest is talking about, Master."

...What was she doing? Riku knew that she was the girl he bumped into this morning.

"Ah, well then." The man clasped his hands together. "My name is Igor," the man said. "I am pleased to make your acquaintance."

Igor beckoned him to draw closer. Riku stood up and walked up to the table.

"You signed the contract, didn't you?" Igor asked. "Only those who have entered a contract are allowed access to this room." He gestured to the piece of paper on the table.

So... the paper that girl gave him this afternoon was a _contract_. But for what?

"...What is this place?"

Once the words were out of Riku's mouth, he wanted to smack himself. Igor had said himself that this was the Velvet Room.

"The Velvet Room exists so they may magnify your power as much as possible." Igor smiled mysteriously. "May I inquire what your name is?"

Okay...?

"I'm Amada Riku."

"How intriguing," Igor remarked, still smiling enigmatically. "It appears that you are a blood relation of a past guest."

What was that supposed to mean...?

"As my master has explained, we are all here on your behalf," Octavia stated. "You possess a special power within you, all shared by past guests of this room."

"Your power is like the number of zero," Igor said. "It is empty, yet full of possibilities. Alas, I cannot inform you more until you awaken."

"Time marches on in your world," Octavia said, her expression becoming serious. "Remember this... Time waits for nobody."

"But before you leave..." Igor snapped his fingers and a silver key appeared on the table. "Take this. You will need it to return here."

Riku reached forward, grasping the key. It felt cool to the touch.

"...Erm... bye," Riku said uncertainly.

"Until we meet again."

* * *

**Academics:** Harebrained (Level 1/5) [+0]

**Charm:** Lackluster (Level 1/5) [+0]

**Courage:** Scaredy-Cat (Level 1/5) [+0]

* * *

**Welcome to Persona: Renaissance! This, as you can probably tell, is a Persona fic, featuring the children of the members of the cast of Persona 3 and 4, with Ken and Nanako's son as the protagonist. Renaissance will combine elements from both P3 and 4.**

**Although Riku is the protag, he's not going to be the sole POV of the story. I plan on having POV's for the eight main characters. Riku is going to have the bulk of the POV's, since most of the game are SLs, of course. But you'll get to see the others' thoughts during plot parts.**

**Also some things to note: Renaissance is slightly AU in that both P3 protags exist here, as twin siblings, along with a few tweaks which I will reveal in later chapters. I'm using the Japanese way to write full names, surname first and then given names. I'm also going to include some Japanese words, mainly sibling terms for Haru and Kairi, and some foods, like gyoza and etc. If this turns out to be too confusing, I'll change it.**

**Anyways, this is it!**

**Reviews would be great!**


	2. II: The Fool's Awakening

**Persona: Renaissance**

**Chapter II**

**The Fool's Awakening**

* * *

_Thursday, 06 April, 2043._

Riku couldn't sleep after that odd dream.

He felt more _confused _than anything. Mostly because of the old man, Igor. And well, what the girl, Octavia, had mentioned.

She had said that Riku possessed some kind of power, which was apparently dormant. And what was that about his power being like the number zero? That made no sense...

Not to mention that Octavia had claimed that she had never seen him before but _she _was the one to give him the contract to sign which gave him access to the room.

What had Igor called it?

_The Velvet Room_.

And Igor mentioned that he was related to a past guest of the room. Riku didn't even want to think about what was going on his head for him to dream about that.

Riku drew out his hand from under the covers, opening his balled fist. A silver key gleamed in the pale morning light. It looked like an ordinary key; you could probably mistake it to be a housekey or a key for a car.

But it was proof that it wasn't _just a dream_. He remembered Igor instructing him to take the key near the end of the dream.

Riku frowned. What did all of this even mean?

He let out a heavy sigh. He forced himself to sit up and he leaned against the headrest. He shut his eyes, using his free hand to rake through his messy hair. He reopened them.

His parents' conversation from last night was still fresh in his mind. Now that he had slept on it, the Apathy Syndrome sounded like it was from psychology.

Hmmm... Psychology...

Maybe Hinata would know something about it? The last time he heard, she was interested in psychology.

Well, it was worth a shot.

Riku dragged himself out of bed, running his hand through his hair once again, to get ready for the day.

* * *

"Huh?" Hinata blinked in confusion. "The Apathy Syndrome?"

Riku nodded. "I know that you were doing some research on psychology for fun the last time I saw you. It sounded like a psychology term..."

"Ummm..." Hinata cupped her chin in the palms of her hands, her expression pensive. She finally shook her head. "Sorry, Riku-kun. I don't remember ever seeing anything close to the Apathy Syndrome."

Riku sighed, trying to hide his disappointment.

Of _course_, it wouldn't be that simple. But still Riku had hoped that Hinata knew something about it.

"Where did you even hear that from?" Hinata tilted her head slightly at him, curiosity in her eyes.

"I..." Riku shut his mouth, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. He then stared at his unopened bento box.

Should he tell her...? He didn't want to drag her into anything... But it couldn't hurt to just tell her...

"Well, my parents were talking last night and Dad was really agitated b-"

"Yo, sorry we're late!" Hanamura opened (more like kicked) the door connecting the roof and top floor with great gusto, causing to hit the wall with a bang. "We were buying instant ramen from the shop."

She strode forward, tossing her bag to the ground. She also held another bag in her hands. She then balanced herself on the raised step. Amagi trailed her, holding two plastic bowls.

"Shiori-chan, you wanted the miso ramen, didn't you?"

"Yeeeep!" Hanamura exclaimed.

Amagi traded one of the bowls for the backpack and took a seat next to her. He gently brushed his hand over her arm before the exchange, though. He quickly turned away when he noticed that Riku was watching him.

Riku sighed. Oh jeez.

"Whatcha staring at?" Hanamura demanded, her eyes scrutinizing Riku.

"Oh, nothing," Riku said. He wasn't going to voice his suspicions. It was none of his business.

Ignoring Hanamura's suspicious stare, Riku opened his bento box. Steam escaped from the container, the scent wafting out. He took out a pair of wooden chopsticks, using it to pick up a mouthful of rice, popping it in her mouth, and then a piece of sesame chicken. Like usual, his mother's cooking was delicious.

"Nanako-san packed your lunch, huh?" Hinata asked. She had her own bento box.

"Mmmhm."

"Who's Nanako-san?" Hanamura asked through a mouthful of noodles.

"...Shiori-chan, chew and swallow before you talk," Amagi chided with a sigh. In his hand was a bright red chili pepper.

Hanamura swallowed, sticking her tongue at him. "I do what I want."

"...Are you going to use that?" Riku asked.

Amagi nodded. "I already tasted my ramen. It's not spicy enough."

"Touya-kun is just secretly a dragon," Hanamura said in a stage whisper. "He only eats super spicy stuff so he can breath fire on the peasants."

"You have quite an imagination, Hanamura-chan," Hinata said with a light laugh.

"Why thank you," Hanamura said brightly. "And you know what, just call me Shiori! I never really liked being on last name basis."

"Only if you call me Hinata," Hinata answered.

"A'ight!" Hanamura smiled brightly. "Hey, when are clubs gonna open up? And what kinds are there here?" Hanamura asked. "I'm hoping there's a kendo club." She seemed to be holding her breath.

What was that about...? She was hiding something...

"Uhhh... It always opens on the third Monday of the term, I think. So... the nineteenth." Hinata thought for a moment. "For sports, there's swimming, track, kendo, fencing, archery, tennis, volleyball, tennis, gymnastics, and boxing. For cultural clubs, we have fashion, orchestra, choir, photography, cooking, and tea ceremony. But..." she hesitated, "...kendo is only for guys."

Hanamura's face fell and she noticeably drooped. "Oh. I see."

"Well, there's always others sports!" Amagi said to encourage her. "You always were awesome during PE back in Inaba, Shiori-chan."

"Yeah, I know," she sighed. "I just really _love _kendo. It's just not the same." She then shook her head, smiling cheerily. "But hey, this ain't just about me. Let's eat!"

"_Isn't_," Touya corrected.

Hanamura scowled. "Aw, go eat your fire ramen."

"It's not _that _hot...!" Amagi protested.

"Uh huh. Suuuuuure," Hanamura drawled with a smirk. "Tell that to Aunt Yukiko."

"She just has a weaker palate than I do!" Amagi defended.

"Whatever you say, Touya-kun."

* * *

It was the fourth class of the day: Life Science. Luckily, Riku had taken Biology the year before in America, so he already knew some of the concepts. All of this was review, so Riku was just leaning on his propped up arm.

"How about... Riku-san!" the teacher, Jukodo Emiko, suddenly said, making him jump.

Jukodo-sensei had graying dark brown hair tied in a tight bun. Her eyes were a piercing gray. She wore a white lab coat over her light green blouse.

"Tell me," she said, "what are the six elements are most common in living things?"

It took Riku a moment to remember the answer.

"The six elements are carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus," he rattled off.

Jukodo-sensei looked surprised. "That's correct. Carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen are all organic compounds. Nitrogen is found in every type of amino acid. Disulfide bonds, which are made up by sulfur compounds, are essential for protein build-up. Phosphorus is found in DNA and RNA, which exists in every living creature."

"Wow, Amada's really smart!" a student exclaimed.

Another added, "He must study a lot!"

...Uh. Not really...

But Riku suddenly felt a little more charming. What was that about? Huh.

* * *

Shiori stared at her notebook. Her notes might as well be in Latin or Chinese.

Man, Gekkoukan went a loooot faster than Yasogami did... She sighed. She would be so _screwed _if she somehow managed to flunk a class this year. She could practically hear her mom lecturing her. Shiori winced.

"Something wrong, Hanamura?" Amada asked as he put his things away.

"I didn't get the lecture for Science..." she sighed.

"Well, I studied Biology last year. I can try explaining some of it to you," he offered.

"Really?" she gasped. "Dude, you're awesome!"

She flipped her notebook shut, slipping it in her bag. She then picked it up, slipping her arms through the straps.

Amada laughed, smiling. It was startling; usually he had a neutral or reserved expression on his face, "No problem." He lifted his bag, slinging over his shoulder. "Come on. We can go for coffee and study there." He then paused, thinking. "Should we invite Hinata-san and Amagi?"

Shiori put a hand on her hip. "Why do you even call Hinata by 'Hinata-san'? You've known each other since you were kids. Shouldn't you drop the honorific already?"

Amada shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's just a habit I picked up from my dad. He talks pretty formally."

"Well, we're gonna have to change that." Shiori flashed him a grin. "Let's start by you calling me Shiori."

"I'm good, Hanamura." He waltzed past her, heading for the door.

Shiori followed him, commenting, "You're awfully stubborn, aren't you?"

"Maybe." Shiori could practically hear the grin in the word.

"Agh, you suck," she huffed as she stalked after him. Amada pulled open the door.

It was quiet as they walked through the hallway. They rounded a corner, where the stairs connecting to the higher floor was, only to nearly crash into a third-year.

At least Shiori _thought _that he was a third year. He towered over Shiori, and Shiori wasn't exactly short.

Amada quickly took a step back, inclining his head at them. "...Aragaki-senpai."

Shiori could've sworn that he was taller than _Uncle Kanji_. He had scruffy black hair, reaching his shoulders. His eyes were the same color as his hair, piercing and dark. ...He had the face of a thug. He had a muscular build, like he worked out. Or maybe he found some kind of _other _activity. (And no, not _that _kind of activity.) His jacket was ripped in several places, like he fought in scuffles on a weekly basis. Or he was just careless.

"Riku," the third year said, his voice husky and gruff. "How many times have I told you to not call me that? It's stupid."

Amada shrugged. "I'm used to it, Senpai." He then frowned. "What are you even doing here?"

"Tch." Aragaki flicked his bangs out of his eyes. "Azami's making me do something for the office. Something for Council."

"You're supposed to report to the office, Jun." There was the tell-tale clicking sounds of high heels.

A willowy girl was approaching them. She looked a few centimeters taller than Shiori without the heeled boots. She had deep red hair that fell into curls, which reaching past her waist. Her bangs were pinned to the right side of her head, while the top strands of the rest of her hair were gathered into a neat bun, the rest hanging loose. Her eyes were dark gray. She had a white blouse with flouncy sleeves instead of a dress shirt and she wore no jacket. A silver star choker was placed around her neck. Black tights covered her legs and matching knee high boots were on her feet.

"I don't need a babysitter, Azami," grumbled Aragaki. "I was going until Riku and this girl nearly bumped into me."

"I see." The girl's eyes swept over them. Amada didn't seem bothered by it, but Shiori stiffened at her examining gaze. "You're one of the exchange students, correct?"

"You're so nosy, Azami," Aragaki scoffed with a roll of his eyes.

She turned on him, her eyes narrowed. They started to bicker (more like Azami was berating him and he was making excuses).

Amada gently touched Shiori's shoulder, making her jump. He motioned for her to follow him. He kept walking until they were outside the school's gates.

"Who _was _he?" Shiori asked.

"The girl's Kirijo Azami. Yes, like _that _Kirijo. She's the Kirijo Group's CEO's younger child, but she's the one who is supposed to inherit the job from Mitsuru-san, which is why she has the surname Kirijo. She's the head of Disciplinary Committee. The boy... he's Aragaki Jun. His dad is another family friend."

"Jeez, how many students do you know because of your dad's connections?"

"Hinata-san, Kirijo-senpai, Aragaki-senpai, Yoshida-senpai and Yoshida Kazumi," Amada ticked off. "Oh, and Iori-senpai."

...Okay, then.

"They make an odd pair," she commented.

"So are you and Amagi," Amada shot back as they continued to walk. "How do you two know each other?"

Touya, huh?

"Well, he's one of my childhood friends," Shiori said. "My parents and his mom have known each other since high school, and our moms have been friends since elementary school."

"He's just _one_ of your childhood friends?"

"Uh huh." Shiori nodded. There was something about Amada that made it easy to talk to. There was just something about "They're all kids of family friends. Touya's the same age as me, but Miko-chan and Hiro-kun were only a year behind us."

Shiori sometimes missed those carefree days in middle school, where the four of them would go to a house, and just hang out while doing homework. All of that changed after Hiro left...

Hmmm, maybe she could try using the video phone at her brother's house so she could talk to Mikoto... They hadn't talked in a couple of weeks, since her parents took her to go to the capital for some case her mom had to handle.

Amada led her to a mall, which was bustling with activity. "This is Paulownia Mall," he said. "It's not as big as many malls, but most kids hang out here after school."

"Dude, isn't that karaoke?!" Shiori gasped, staring at the sign. "Hey, maybe we should come here and-"

"No," Amada said flatly.

"But you didn't even hear w-"

"You were thinking it." Amada rolled his eyes. "Come on, I need to get back before seven. We only had a few hours."

He walked to the left, stopping at a small cafe. He held the door open for her, which surprised her. None of her brothers would do such a gesture. Touya... most likely. Hiro, probably not, haha.

They entered the room; the scent of coffee beans was in the air.

"Do you want a drink?" Amada asked. "I'll buy."

"No, that's fine." Shiori had a feminist streak a mile wide; she hated how some guys said that girls 'owed' them for paying for their food or whatever crap they came up.

She dug out her wallet, pulling out a one thousand yen bill and a couple of hundred yen coins for good measure.

"I want a black coffee," she told him.

Amada's lip twitched.

"What?" she demanded.

"Oh nothing," Amada said. "You just don't seem to be like someone who would drink anything without sugar."

Shiori grinned. "Milk and sugar are for the weak."

"Whatever you say, Hanamura." Amada rolled his eyes again. "Just grab a table."

It only took Shiori a minute to find a table.

"Hey, have you heard of the new MMORPG?" asked a student, probably a first year, leaning toward his friend, as they sat together at a nearby table. They were dressed in a different school uniform, though.

"Which one?"

"It's called the Anima Legend," the first student said. "The graphics are supposed to be really good and the battles are really _intense_."

Huh. A MMORPG? Shiori did like playing video games, though she stuck to the Playstations and Nintendo game systems. But it wasn't like she could bring her systems to her brother's apartment...

And video games were just part of her coping when school work was piling up and she needed a break.

Maybe she should check that out...

Amada appeared with two cups in his hands. He passed her one of them. Shiori take a swig of it, gulping the still hot liquid down. The caffeine kicked in and Shiori's senses sharpened.

"Oooh, this is good coffee," she said.

...Strangely, she could feel other people's eyes on them.

Amada didn't even seem to notice, but he seemed a little more charming. Shiori blinked in confusion.

"Now then," he said, suddenly all business, "let's get started. Today, we went over the building blocks of living things, cells, and some of the essential elements..."

* * *

It was six in the evening when Riku stepped out of the coffee shop.

Hanamura rubbed her neck. "My brain's gonna explode," she complained.

"You took my offer," Riku said with a shrug.

"Whatever, _Professor _Amada."

They were passing by the police station, only for the door to swing open. Riku who was walking slower than Hanamura only stopped in place, while the brunette had to leap back.

Out stepped Ken and an old friend of Riku's father.

"...Dad?" Riku asked, raising an eyebrow. "Akihiko-san?"

Inspector Sanada was tall at one hundred and seventy seven centimeters. He was also extremely muscular in the torso. He was dressed in the police uniform, albeit his sleeves were shorter, only covering his upper arms. His hair was silver and his eyes were dark gray. He was a good friend of Ken, as he was usually placed on the same cases that Ken prosecuted, so they worked together very often.

"Riku..." Ken said slowly. "What are you doing here?"

"Tutoring a classmate," Riku answered calmly.

"Amada-kun, you wound me!" Hanamura said dramatically. She then fake sniffled. "Is that all I am to you?!"

Riku wanted to facepalm _so _badly.

"Is there something you want to tell us...?" Akihiko-san seemed to be stifling a smile.

"There's nothing going on," Riku said slowly. He was starting to get irritated. "We just met yesterday, for crying out loud."

"How can you deny me like this?" Hanamura cried. Her shoulders were shaking with laughter and her eyes were sparkling with mirth. "Are you _ashamed _of me, Amada-kun?"

Ken pinched the bridge of his nose. "I don't care either way. Riku, come on, let's go home. You... need to go home."

"Akihiko-san," Riku called over his shoulder as he followed his father, "maybe you should walk Hanamura to her house." Out of the corner of his eye, he watched his father nearly trip over some kind of crack on the ground. "She's hopeless with directions."

"Oi, that was one _freaking _time!"

* * *

_Friday. 07 April, 2043._

Riku sighed, rubbing his eyes tiredly as he walked through the school gates. Normally, he would be glad that it was Friday, since in America, the school week ended on that day. But in Japan, that meant Saturday was the last school day.

"Good morning, Amada-san," Amagi said sleepily as he caught up to Riku. He was holding a thermos.

"Morning, Amagi," he responded.

...What could he even say? Amagi was so quiet and withdrawn, while Hanamura was loud and boisterous, making it easy to talk to the latter.

"Have you decided on joining any clubs? I know that it's early still, but it's good to think about it."

"Well, I'm thinking cooking," Amagi admitted. "It's a good skill, isn't it? What about you?"

"I'm thinking of track for sports. Orchestra or photography for cultural."

"I see." Amagi was fidgeting, twiddling his thumbs. "I'm not good at sports so I don't think I'll join..."

Riku cocked his head at him. "Well, if you don't try, how can you ever get good...?"

Amagi blinked a few times. "I... never thought of that." He then smiled hesitantly. "Thank you, Amada-san. You... gave me something to think about."

"You're welcome...?" Riku drew out, raising an eyebrow at him.

Did his parents not encourage to push his limits or something?

...Well, it was none of Riku's business. He didn't want to press Amagi's boundaries.

"Sorry for dumping everything on you," Amagi apologized. "You're just... really easy to talk to."

"Don't apologize," Riku said. "It's not good for you to bottle everything up."

Amagi's eyes flickered to the ground as they continued to walk. "Thank you for listening to me, Amada-san," he said sincerely, looking up.

"It's nothing!"

* * *

It was finally lunch. Hanamura had gone ahead to go buy ramen but Riku was still putting away his things from the last class.

"Hey, did you get to try out the Anima Legend yet?" asked a female student.

"We have a ton of homework!" her male friend exclaimed. "I'm gonna wait until Sunday. Calm down."

"Okay, okay, jeez," she huffed. "Anima's just really cool! It, like, really sucks you in! It's also really cool when you connect your laptop or computer to your TV and have one of those controllers."

After that, Riku tuned the conversation out; he really wasn't one for video games. He pulled his bento box out of his bag and headed out of the room. He nearly crashed into Hinata but he managed to take a step back just in time.

"Ah, Riku-kun!" Hinata smiled cheerfully. She then looked around furtively before standing on toes so she could reach his ear, lowering her voice to a whisper. "I found something on the Apathy Syndrome last night. Are you interested?"

"Yeah." Riku nodded. "Show me after school, all right?"

"Cool." Hinata reached out to snag his wrist. "Come on, let's go to the roof."

Hinata dragged him to the roof, where Amagi and Hanamura were waiting for them.

"Oi, what took you so long?" Hanamura had a look on her face that Riku was already too familiar with.

"Nothing that you're thinking, Hanamura," Riku said with a roll of his eyes.

"Then why are you holding hands then?" Hanamura smirked knowingly.

Hinata dropped Riku's hand like a hot rock. "I-It's nothing like that!" she protested, her face flushing.

"Then how come you're turning red, hmmmm?"

"Let it go, Shiori-chan," Amagi murmured. "You're making Arisato-san uncomfortable."

"Fiiiiiiine," Hanamura huffed, childishly pouting. She then snapped her fingers. "Oh! I finally remembered something! Hinata, Amada-kun, do you know anything about the Anima Legend?"

"Not much." Riku shrugged. He then narrowed his eyes at her. "Speaking of which, why did you even act that way in front of Akihiko-san and my dad? My dad kept asking me if I liked you and all of this embarrassing stuff." He then paused. "He then told me that I was never to date a girl like you."

"Hey, what's wrong with me?"

"Hmmm, where's my list?"

Hanamura scowled at him. "Meanie."

"Deal with it."

"W-What did you two do...?" Amagi asked, looking confused.

"Oi, he was tutoring me." She then turned to Hinata. "Do you know anything about the Anima Legend?"

Hinata just shrugged. "It's just a video game that came out about a month ago. Aren't video games all the same, anyways?"

Hanamura shot Hinata a withering look. "_Dude_. That's like saying that all books are the same." She then suddenly snapped her fingers. "Oh, yeah, Touya-kun!"

"Huh?" Amagi looked startled, but he set his ramen aside, placing his chopsticks on top of the container. "What's wrong, Shiori-chan?"

"Sousuke said you could come over to the apartment after school tomorrow. We can hang out and you can spend the night, like we did when we were kids! And maybe we can video chat with Miko-chan."

"Erm, well, I have to go check with the dorm I'm staying at. I'll tell you tomorrow."

Hanamura grinned. "Cool."

"Uhhh..." Hinata started. "Who's Sousuke?"

"My brother," Hanamura answered. "Well, my _oldest _brother. He's studying his last year at Iwatodai University, so he has an apartment near there. I'm staying with him, since it's cheaper to do that instead of staying at the dorm." She then glanced at Riku, smiling mischievously. "Y'know, Amada-_kun_, Sou-nii nearly had a heart attack when I came home and I told him what I was doing."

"That will be Riku-kun in ten years when Kairi-chan starts dating," Hinata giggled.

Riku narrowed her eyes at her. "_No_. Kairi isn't dating until she's twenty-five."

"I never would have thought you as the overprotective type, Amada-kun," Hanamura teased.

"Shut it," Riku ordered as he raised his bottle of iced tea to his mouth. "And don't call me that. You make it sound so... weird."

"I feel bad for any future daughters you have," Hinata said with a light laugh.

"Not if they find guys who are taller than him. That shouldn't be _too _hard."

"I hate you both," Riku muttered, earning laughter from the two girls. He looked over to Amagi, who was quietly eating, not really saying anything. He raised an eyebrow.

"Oi, Touya-kun, what's the matter?" Hanamura demanded. "You're not saying anything."

"O-Oh..." Amagi flushed from embarrassment. "I'm okay with just listening to all of you talk."

"Nonsense!" Hanamura declared. "C'mon, you can join in on picking on Amada-kun. It'll be fun!"

Riku just let out a groan.

* * *

"So what's this about the Apathy Syndrome?"

After school, Riku had gone to Hinata's classroom: 2-A, and they headed to Wuck's to talk.

Hinata twirled one of the fringes of her scarf with a finger. "Well... A few nights ago, Mom and Dad were talking about something that has to do with the full moon."

...What?! Didn't his dad mention something about the full moon that night too?

"And then I started to think about how my parents and your dad even got involved with the Kirijo Group. So I... uh... kinda..." She trailed off, biting her lip.

Hinata's hand moved from her scarf to her bag, undoing the clasp for the most front compartment. She pulled something out, laying it on the table.

Riku picked it up for examination. It was a picture. There were Hinata's parents: Minato-san and Yukari-san. They looked around Hinata's and his age - sixteen. His father as an elementary school student (why was he wearing shorts while everyone was dressed for cooler weather...?) Akihiko-san (so this was before he had _freaking huge _muscles). Mitsuru-san. Shinjiro-san. Junpei-san. Fuuka-san. Aigis-san. (Why did she look so... clunky?)

Riku recognized all of these faces, save for two. There was a white shiba inu sitting in the front. Standing to Minato-san's right was a girl only a little taller than Yukari-san. She had auburn hair pulled in a short ponytail and scarlet red eyes. She had a big smile on her face and her arm was thrown casually over Minato-san's shoulders.

"Have you ever seen this girl?" Riku asked, puzzled.

Hinata shook her head, her eyes flickering to her lap. "Um... no."

Riku sighed. "And what exactly does this have to do with the Apathy Syndrome?"

Hinata started to toy with her scarf again and she looked up. "Well, I decided to look up the Apathy Syndrome on the internet, and I found a lot of forums on really old social networks. They were talking about zombie-like people, back in 2009 and 2010."

Riku felt like he was sucker punched. That student that he had found Kairi talking to on Wednesday... could it be...?

But Hinata wasn't finished. "The school year of 2009-2010 was the year that Mom and Dad were seventeen."

And the Arisatos looked like they were second-years.

"So... you think they're connected to the Apathy Syndrome somehow?" Riku guessed, a frown deepening his lips.

"The Kirijo Group has always been hush-hush about the cause of death of Mitsuru-san's father, too. And he died in 2009..." Hinata's expression was grim and her mouth was now a thin line.

Riku looked down at the photo and the red parts caught his eye. He squinted, managing to make out four letters on the scrap of red cloth, all around one arm of each person.

"SEES...?" he said slowly.

"Huh," Hinata said, frowning. "That sounds pretty familiar, actually." She then pulled out her phone, her fingers flying across the keypad. "Hold on, I'm looking it up."

Riku stayed silent as she scrolled through the browser on her phone. There wasn't really anything to say.

"Okay, the closest I could find is an old club at Gekkou. It stood for Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad. It disbanded in... 2010."

"That can't be it," Riku dismissed with a shake of his head. "It's... odd that it came to an end in the same year that you mentioned before, but there's no way that my dad could have been part of that club. He had to be..." Riku paused to do the mental math, "eleven or so. He would still be in elementary school. And what about the dog?"

"Gah," Hinata groaned, rubbing her forehead. "We're just going in circles... This was just pointless..." She then sat up straight, as if a thought struck her. "Wait! I remember reading something odd... The forums kept talking about how the Lost were miraculously cured after January 31st, 2010. If it was an illness, then that wouldn't make any sense. Maybe... it wasn't an illness? It could have been caused by something, and our parents somehow eliminated the source. That would explain why they're giving this air that they know more to the Apathy Syndrome..."

"That sounds pretty plausible," Riku admitted. "But we know too little for that to be accepted to be the ultimate explanation..."

"I know," she sighed. "But..." Hinata bit her lip. "Have you seen some of the kids around here? They look so much..."

"...like the people inflicted with the Apathy Syndrome?"

"Well, the forums always called them "The Lost" but yes."

Riku felt something in the back of his mind stir, like the sensation he had felt when he had met Octavia.

What was that all about?

Riku sighed. "Well, we should get home. Your curfew's six, right?"

"You remembered?" Hinata seemed surprised.

"Why wouldn't I?"

He stood up, pushing his chair back. Hinata followed suit and they walked out, together.

Hinata shivered as a cold gust of air blew, ruffling both of their hair. Riku shrugged off his jacket, offering it to her.

Hinata accepted it, smiling almost shyly at him, her cheeks pink - though that could have been from the cold air. "Thanks."

The walk was quiet. It still felt odd, walking everywhere. In America, almost everyone drove everywhere. But in Japan, everyone walked. The air felt fresher here.

"Um, my house is that way," Hinata said, starting to take off his jacket.

Riku raised an eyebrow at her. "I never said I wouldn't walk you to your house."

"H-Huh?"

"Gee, I feel sorry for any guy you date," Riku said dryly, echoing Hinata's words from before. "Most girls would take the offer."

Hinata puffed her cheeks at him childishly and she punched him in the shoulder. "S-Shut up!"

* * *

_Saturday, 08 April, 2043._

It was finally lunchtime. Shiori brought a boxed lunch today, due to Sousuke's insistence. He kept nagging at her to make her own lunch since the ramen sold at school would eventually kill her from salt overdose supposedly. She just made it to make him stop scolding her.

"Did you get to play The Anima Legend yet?" she heard one of her female classmates ask her friend.

"Dude, I have chores! I'll get to it on Sunday, okay? Chill!"

"Okay, okay, I get it!" the first girl huffed. "I just wanna know whatcha think!"

"I'll call you on Sunday night," the second girl replied. "Don't worry!"

The two girls left the classroom, chatting about who knew what.

"Oi, Amada," Shiori said, looking over to the brown haired boy. "What's the Anima Legend, exactly?"

Amada was pulling out his own bento box. He shrugged. "I don't know. I've been out of the loop for a year now."

"What was that even about, anyways?" Shiori asked.

"Dad got transferred to America last April because of his job. It was a really important case, so he had to take it. And since it was an entire year... my family just moved to New York for the year. The case was closed ages ago, but we had to wait for me and my siblings to finish up our online classes before we could come back."

"Well, did you like America?"

"Not really," Amada said with a shrug.

"...Oh." Shiori looked down for a moment. "Hey, come on, we're late!"

She headed for the door, pulling it open. She saw Touya and Hinata walking toward them. She opened her mouth to call out to the pair, when Touya accidentally bumped into a taller student.

"Oh, excuse me," Touya apologized, bowing his head.

The student scowled. "What the hell's your problem, you _rice cracker_?!"

What... did he just call Touya?!

"Um..." Touya was taken by surprise. "Nothing...? It was an accident..."

"Screw that," he spat out. "You did that on purpose and you know it! Go back to America, you half-breed!"

"I'm... uh, well..." Touya was stammering, his face growing red.

Shiori had enough.

"OI!" Shiori hollered, storming up to the student. "What's _your _problem?! Leave Touya-kun alone!"

The student was a good ten centimeters taller than Shiori, but she was not afraid. She had easily taken down boys his stature in kendo matches, no problem. She wasn't just handy with a bokken either.

"One of the hicks, huh?"

"Takahashi, lay off," Hinata demanded, putting a hand on her hip. She was looking up at him, her blue eyes steely. "Amagi-kun didn't mean anything by that!"

Takahashi scowled. "Shut up, Arisato! Just get back into the kitchen!"

"Oh, sure," Shiori began, scowling as well, "send her to a place with a bunch of pointy objects."

"Bitch, are you asking for an ass kicking?" he demanded.

"Yeah, yours," Shiori retorted, fiercely glaring at him.

"Both of you, stop it!" Amada stepped between them. "Takahashi, just scram already. Get in your thick skull that it was an accident and that Amagi didn't mean to ruin your perfect image."

His eyes narrowed on Amada. "And why shouldn't I kick _your _ass?"

"Because my father could easily sue and evict your entire family?" Amada responded, unfazed by Takahashi's threat.

Takahashi scowled yet again. "_Fine_." He then stalked away.

"You," Amada said, turning on Shiori once he was gone, "are an idiot. You need to think! Takahashi is huge! Did you really think you could take him?!"

"I'm not gonna let him walk all over me! I'm not some kind of damsel, who'll stay in a corner, whimpering!" Shiori retorted. "'Sides, he was harassing Touya-kun!"

"Have you ever thought of letting Amagi fight his own battles?"

"Um..." Touya smiled sheepishly. "I really can't..."

"More like you won't!" Shiori cried. "I've been beating up those sexist assholes since elementary school!"

For as long as she could remember, there had been gossip about how the manager of the traditional Amagi Inn had married an American man and 'tainting' the Amagi line or some kind of crap like that. The talk had worsened when it was apparent that Shiori's aunt Yukiko couldn't become pregnant for the longest time. It had mainly died down when Touya had been born, but the harsh words then fell upon Touya. Touya would always let the kids at school tease him, non stop, without speaking one word of self defense. Usually, Shiori wound up confronting them and it always culminated in Shiori getting in a fight. But it always drove Shiori _crazy_ that Touya would never stand up for himself.

"I just... I don't want to create trouble," Touya muttered. "And when I do speak up, it always ends badly for me..."

"Both of you, knock it off!" Hinata exclaimed. "Listen, both of you have good points. But can't we just forget about it, now?"

"...All right," Amada said with a sigh.

* * *

After school, Riku just headed home, after picking up his younger siblings from school. He wasn't really in the mood to do anything else.

The Apathy Syndrome. The people in the picture that Hinata had showed him yesterday after school. Shadows. Personas.

What did this all mean? How were they all connected?

He was lying in bed, fresh from a shower, staring at the key he had received from Igor. He had retrieved it from where he placed it in his bag.

The Velvet Room... Igor had claimed that he would eventually find the room on his own. But where?

Riku sighed before shutting his eyes. Maybe he needed to just rest.

He was starting to drift off when a gruesome roar woke him up immediately. He scrambled out of bed. He was reaching for the door knob when the door flew open.

Riku jumped back, exclaiming, "Whoa!"

"Sorry, Riku," his mother said hastily. "We need to go now."

"Mama, what's going on?" Kairi asked, rubbing at her eyes. "And why does Papa-"

"Kairi, please don't ask any questions." Nanako seemed frazzled and her voice was strained. She then tugged at the girl's wrist, pulling her down the stairs. Haru followed her, though his face clearly stated that he was relunctant.

Maybe a burglar broke into the house...? But that didn't explain the roar Riku heard moments ago.

"Riku, take this." His mother pressed something into his hands.

Wait a minute... This was...

"Isn't that sword from-"

"Yes, yes," Nanako quickly cut Haru off. "We need to go _now_!"

They were out of the house within a few minutes.

Then there was a crash and a monster - there was no other way to explain it - busted its way through, destroying the wall in the process.

It was at least seven feet tall. Its body was pitch black and in the center rested a mask, bright red, the number zero stamped on it. It had many hands which grabbed at empty air. It walked like a spider. It was meandering sporadically, jerking around as it seemed to look for something. It then stopped when it caught sight of Riku.

It then lunged forward. Riku acted on pure instinct, slashing with the sword in his hand, lopping off the hands stretched out for him.

A scream. Riku wasn't sure where it came from.

Then a lightning bolt, blinding white, suddenly crashed onto the monster. The monster shrieked, an earsplitting sound, scuttling to search for the source.

"Nanako, I'll take care of this!" Ken had appeared on the scene, looking disheveled. He clutched something to him.

The creature took the chance and then whipped back around, leapt into the air. It happened so fast, Riku couldn't even react. Before he knew it, he was being pinned to the ground, his throat in a vice grip. A hand held his right arm down firmly.

"Go, all of you! I'll save Riku!"

Riku gasped for air. His lungs were burning from the lack of oxygen. His vision was starting to blur and his other senses were dulling. He must have been hallucinating, because he heard a gun shot.

"Kala-Nemi, Primal Force!"

Something slammed into the monster, knocking it off of Riku. Riku coughed violently, wheezing for air. His chest was aching from the pain and he was pretty sure that he was bruised on his arm.

There was a light pressure on his back. "Riku! Say something!" His father's voice sounded frantic.

Riku forced himself to take a shaky breath. "'m... okay," he got out, through coughs.

Ken helped him sit up.

"What... is that..."

His father grimaced. "It's... a long story. I need to deal with this first."

He pulled something out of a holster around his waist. Wait... was that a _gun_?!

He _pressed it to his forehead_. Riku wanted to yell at him to stop but he couldn't find his voice and he could only make out choked sounds. "Kala-Nemi!" A red and black robot-like monster hovered above Ken's head. His father opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted; the Shadow let out a growl before lunging at Ken. It smacked him to the ground, the gun being knocked out of his hand, skidding over to Riku. Blood trickled down from his cheek, dripping to the ground. The robot monster disappeared and here was some kind of green tinge to Ken's skin, though Riku might have been just seeing things.

Ken cursed before letting out a pained groan.

Riku just stared, absolutely horrified. He had to do something to help his father, even though he had no idea what he was rambling about... But what?!

Maybe... the gun? He snatched the gun up. He stared at the device.

What was he even doing?!

"Riku, stop!" There was panic in his father's voice. "Y-You don't know what that is! It's not a gun!"

_Thou art I... _a voice echoed in Riku's mind, _...and I am thou. _

Riku staggered his feet, still panting for air. Without even realizing it, Riku's arm started to move. "Per..."

_From the sea of thy soul I come from thee. _

Riku pressed the barrel against his temple. He continued, "So..."

The creature started to crawl towards Riku. For some reason, Riku felt calm. He could do this.

_Now call my name and unleash thy power! _

With a growl, the monster lunged forward.

Riku pulled the trigger. "Na!" he shouted.

Riku saw blue fog and it surrounded his body. He felt something rip out of him and he gasped more from surprise than pain.

Something was forming above him. The creature jerked back, snarling as he loomed above Riku.

It was a ten foot figure, hovering above Riku and taking a defensive stance. Its face was blank as a new painting canvas. Black chains were twisted again and again around what should be its temples, like it was supposed to be a laurel of the ancient Greeks and Romans or maybe a crown. Deep blue plated armor covered its torso and its legs were silver, covered by metal. It held a naginata, a traditional Japanese sword in one hand.

"_Thou art I," _the figure said, its masculine voice echoing in Riku's mind, "_and I am thou." _

The black blob snarled again before dragging itself on the floor toward Riku.

"_I am Aion, ruler of unbounded time and eternity_," the being announced, brandishing its weapon.

The black blob spat flames at the Persona, hitting it in the right shoulder. Red hot pain exploded in the same spot for Riku.

"Ahhh!" he cried, nearly dropping the gun. He clutched at his shoulder with his free arm. Man, that hurt... So he guessed that this... thing and him were connected? "Urgh... Aion, Zio!"

He had yelled out the first thing to pop into his mind.

Electricity crackled from the tip of the blade and Aion thrust his arm out. An arc of blue lightning rammed into the blob, earning a shriek.

It let out another growl before clawing over to Aion and slashing at the figure, landing a blow in the abdomen. The pain nearly sent Riku to his knees. Riku's eyes watered but he forced himself to keep standing.

"Aion, use Skewer!" That had to be another attack, right?

Aion took to the air, swinging the naginata while airborne before plunging it into the blob. It made a final shriek before it became black dust.

Riku let out a groan, finally letting go of the gun. The last attack caused his body to ache even more... Was that attack physically draining? He fell to his knees.

He felt so tired... His eyelids felt heavier than lead. He let his eyes close.

Then everything went dark.

* * *

**Academics: **Harebrained (Level 1/5) [+2]

**Charm: **Lackluster (Level 1/5) [+4]

**Courage: **Scaredy-Cat (Level 1/5) [+0]

* * *

**Soooo, Riku has awakened to his Persona! Now, we can get to some good stuff, like Social Links! **

**The Anima Legend has now been brought up~ And I hope you enjoyed seeing more of Hinata, Shiori, and Touya. Plus, you get to see some of Shiori and Touya's... issues. **

**Aha**

**Ahahahahaha **

**So, how did I write the battle? Do I need more detail? More variation? **

**REVIEWS ARE LOVE **


	3. III: The Power of Persona

**Persona: Renaissance**

**Chapter III**

**The Power Of Persona**

* * *

_Tuesday, 11 April, 2043._

The sunlight was burning through Riku's eyelids. A groan escaped his lips as he sat up, opening his eyes.

He felt disoriented and sore. He tried to get out of bed but his legs felt like jello and he crashed to the ground. Sharp pain caused his legs to twitch.

"Ow..." he mumbled to himself.

He forced himself to sit up. He rubbed at his eyes, then pressing a hand to his forehead. Using the bed, silently thanking his parents for not buying him a futon, he hauled himself up before collapsing on the bed. Something hard pressed against his back. He rolled to the right to see what he had left on the bed. It was the key from Igor.

That was right... Last night, the house was attacked. If he recalled right, that monster or whatever had created a hole in the wall. And he had summoned his own creature...

What did he yell out?

"Per...so...na..." Riku mumbled to himself. The three syllables easily rolled off of his tongue, like it was the most natural thing for him to say. But what exactly _was _a Persona?

Well, he wouldn't get any answers just lying here. Riku cautiously swung one leg to the floor, gingerly putting some weight on it. He didn't feel any pain that he had felt previously so he stood on his feet.

The cool air nipped at his arms. Grumbling to himself and rubbing his arms, Riku walked over to the chair by his desk, where his robe was draped over. He quickly pulled it on, tying it close.

He slowly made his way out of his room and down the stairs. He found his mother sitting at the table, drinking a cup of tea.

Riku blinked in confusion. It was too quiet for a Sunday. Usually, Kairi would be sitting at the table, wheedling usually him, but she sometimes bugged their mother, to buy her some takoyaki. Or whatever she craved, but she usually requested takoyaki from the Strip Mall.

He stepped on the board that always creaked when walked on and Nanako suddenly looked up. She quickly set the cup down, making a loud clattering noise, before jumping to her feet and rushing over to him. "Riku!"

She suddenly drew him in a tight embrace, a bone crushing hug. Riku groaned. "M-Mom... Need air..."

"Oh sorry!" She released him, steering him over to a cushion, pushing him down. She bit her lip, a worried expression forming on her face. "Riku... do you feel all right? Are you tired?"

"No," Riku said, shaking his head. "Just sore. And... Where are Haru and Kairi?"

"Well, Haru and Kairi are at school."

...What?!

"But it's Sunday!" Riku protested.

"No, Riku, it's not. It's Tuesday."

...He slept for _three days?! _Good grief...

"...I see," Riku said after a moment. "Mom... About the night before...?"

"Not now," Nanako said, shaking her head. "You have to wait until Ken comes home. He'll explain everything, I promise."

* * *

The door to Riku's room burst open and Kairi came speeding inside, pouncing on Riku. "Onii-chan!" she exclaimed, clutching at Riku's shirt and then throwing her arms around his neck, nearly strangling Riku from her tight grip. "You're not hurt, are you? Why are you lying here? You slept for so looooong! You're not gonna die, are you? Oh my gosh, please don't die! I'll be a good girl! I promise! I won't ask for any more candy! Or takoyaki from the Strip Mall! Or ask you to take me playing at the Naganaki Shrine! Or... Or..."

"Kairi, nii-san's turning blue," Haru said, his voice filled with exasperated affection.

"Aaaaah, sorry, onii-chan!"

Riku coughed as Kairi released him. Jeez, Kairi had a vice grip. And she was only _six_.

"Why were you asleep for so long, Riku?" Kairi asked.

"Uh... I'm not exactly sure," Riku said, averting his eyes. "I was just tired."

"But for, like, three days?" Kairi cried. "That's a lot of sleep, Big Bro!"

Riku managed a weak laugh. "I'm going to need it for this year." Using his peripheral vision, he saw a suspicious look on Haru's face. Kairi was still naive enough to believe his flimsy excuse... but not Haru.

"I hafta go do my homework," Kairi said brightly, jumping off of the bed. "Bye-bye!"

She then darted out of the room.

"Okay, Riku, what's going on?" Haru said, crossing his arms over his chest, looking ticked off. "Mom and Dad won't tell me either. You were passed out _and holding a gun_ when Mom took us back. What _happened_?"

"I don't know," Riku said truthfully. "I want to know what's going on just as much as you."

All he knew that _thing _was a part of him. He could feel it, stirring in the back of his mind. He could feel urges to tell Haru what really had happened, but he forced the feeling away.

Haru's irritated expression melted away. "W-Well, either way... I'm glad you're okay, nii-san." He rubbed the back of his head. "You had me really worried. I-I thought you were gonna..." His voice hitched and he suddenly turned away.

"Hey," Riku said gently. "I'm not going anywhere."

"I-I know..." Haru mumbled out. He then turned to look at Riku. "It just felt so weird seeing you out like that. And for two whole days! I-I'm just really glad you're okay."

A sudden voice, unlike Aion's, rang in Riku's voice.

_Thou art I... and I am thou. Thou hast established a new bond. Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Justice Arcana. _

What... was that? Justice Arcana? That sounded like some kind of tarot card...

...Wait.

Could this possibly have to do with him possessing the _Wild Card_?

He really needed to find the Velvet Room _somehow _and talk to Igor...

* * *

Riku was lying in bed, staring at the ceiling.

He wanted answers, but his mother wouldn't give them. Why?

A knock on the door.

"Come in," he called out, sitting up.

The door opened and Ken walked inside. "How are you feeling, Riku?"

"Irritated," he deadpanned.

Ken sat at the foot of his bed, setting something at his feet. "Nanako has her reasons why she told you to wait until I came home tonight."

"Do tell, then."

It was Ken's turn to look annoyed. "I did not raise you to be disrespectful."

Riku let out a frustrated groan. "I just want answers. What was that thing attacking the house? How could I summon that... monster thing with a gun?!"

"One, the 'monster' is your Persona. Two, I thought I told you it wasn't a gun." Ken reached down, bringing the gun that Riku had used the other night into view. "It's an Evoker."

With a jolt, Riku realized that S.E.E.S was stamped on the side. Hinata was right... SEES _was _connected to... whatever the Apathy Syndrome was.

"Okay..." Riku said slowly. "What exactly _is _an Evoker, then?"

"The Evoker was developed by the Kirijo Group, some time before 2009," his father began. "I'm not exactly sure when exactly. It was developed for the purpose of summoning a Persona. You have to fire it at your head and in response, the Evoker will send a jolt into your brain. Your brain impulses read the jolt as fear, so as a defense mechanism, your Persona comes forth to protect you."

"Then what's a Persona? And what was that thing...?"

"A Persona is a manifestation of you. It's a part of your psyche. As for the thing attacking the house... it was a Shadow. Shadows and Personas are flip sides of a coin, to put it simply. Shadows are formed of the fragments of dark inner thoughts. Personas are the same feelings, but they're controlled by their user. It takes a special willpower to develop a Persona."

Personas... Shadows... It all made sense now. That explained why Ken seemed so frustrated that night.

Ken stared at the Evoker in his hand. "In 2009, there was a plague, I guess you can call it. In essence, the victims lacked the capability to feel any kind of emotion. People on Port Island called those affected by it _The Lost. _People thought it was just a sickness, striking random people. But that's not true. During that time, the Shadows lived in a place that was called Tartarus."

Tartarus? Wasn't that... the prison for the most wicked souls and monsters, according to Greek mythology?

"Tartarus only appeared during the Dark Hour, the hidden twenty-fifth hour," Ken continued.

A twenty-fifth hour? That made... no sense.

And so, Ken continued his story. Riku just stayed silent, listening to the tale. Riku wanted to not believe in it. The whole thing was _insane_.

And how exactly do you fight _Death_ itself?

But... there was something about the field leader - Minako-san, as his father called her - that troubled Riku. Riku couldn't help but think about the auburn haired, red eyed girl, who acted so familiarly with Minato-san. That would explain why he had never met the girl, when Riku has met the rest of the people in the picture... He could see the picture in his mind's eye. Now that he thought about it... She looked somewhat like Minato-san...

"So... why do you still have this?" Riku asked. "If this happened over thirty years ago, then Nyx should be gone, right?"

"Well... When Minako-san first died, we didn't know why she had. She had just fallen asleep and wouldn't wake. It's a long story, but we eventually discovered the reason why she died. Minako-san sacrificed herself to become the Great Seal so Nyx wouldn't come down again to try bring the Fall once again. So we all carry our Evokers to remind ourselves of what she sacrificed and think about what we can do to lessen her burden."

She did that without hesitation. Riku couldn't help but wonder why. He possessed the same power as she did... but could he do that if he needed to?

"Riku, I'm telling you this because I want you to take this seriously. I had witnessed too much death during that last year SEES was active. If there is anything I learned... it's to live life to its fullest. People take life too lightly, these days."

Riku recalled that his father always told him to pursue anything he wanted to do, when growing up. Nothing was childish or ridiculous, for either of his parents. Riku never thought much of it, merely dismissing that his mother and father simply wanted him to be his best, seeing that both of them didn't have parental influences starting at a young age.

But now, Riku understood some of it.

Ken sighed heavily. There was pain in his eyes. But why? Riku could sense that he was omitting a lot of the story...

"Just... get some rest tonight," Ken said finally, his expression melancholy."You'll be going back to school tomorrow."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

_Wednesday, 12 April, 2043._

Riku was walking toward school, having gotten off the monorail moments ago. He was nearing the gates when a blue door appeared, literally out of nowhere. In his pocket, the key that he was carrying in his pocket seemed to grow warm. He quickly looked around; nobody else seemed to notice the door...

Riku surreptitiously drew the key out and stepped to the door. He slid the key into the slot, twisting it to unlock the door, and then opened it. He walked inside.

The door seemed to shut behind him.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room," Octavia greeted him.

Beside her, Igor was sitting at the sofa, calm as ever. "Now that you have awakened to your powers, I can now explain the true purpose of this room."

"The door to this room..." Riku trailed off.

"You're the only one allowed access to the room," Octavia informed him, a coy smile playing on her lips. "While all of our alive guests all still possess the Wild Card, all of the previous guests have already fulfilled their contracts, so therefore they are no longer granted permission to enter here and thus, we are not bound to aid them."

"Now then," Igor began. "My duty is to help you fuse Personas to create more powerful Personas. You'll be able to gather Personas after battle. In the aftermath of a great victory, you will see possibilities in your mind. It may be difficult, but you must reach out and seize them."

That reminded Riku of something that his grandfather once told him. You couldn't just passively let things be decided for you, he said. You need to take control of your own destiny.

"But in order for you to have especially powerful Personas, you need to have bonds: Social Links. Your experiences with others will shape your soul, thus affecting your Personas."

So... was that just using people for power? That felt so... _wrong_. All Riku could think about was the only Social Link that he had created so far was with his _little brother_.

Was this the gift of the Wild Card? It seemed like a double edged sword to Riku. And his father's words still were in his mind.

There was something going on... and he was going to get dragged into the mess. He had only 'awakened' because his father was in danger. Did he want to do this for everyone...?

"I see you need time to adjust," Octavia stated. "Either way, you should go. Time can never be regained."

"...Right," Riku answered. He then turned to leave, exiting through the door. He shook his head as he stepped onto the asphalt. He shook his head and then shifted his bag on his shoulder.

He checked the time. 7:20.

He needed to hurry.

* * *

Riku had barely managed to slide into his seat when the bell rang, signaling the beginning of class. Hasegawa-sensei entered the room, holding a leather bound book.

She scanned the classroom to take attendance. "Welcome back, Amada-kun," she said. "Hanamura-chan seems to be absent still..."

What?

Riku had been so absentminded, that he didn't even notice that...

"Now then," Hasegawa-sensei stated. "We will be continuing from where we left off from yesterday." She turned and picked up the piece of chalk. She started to write rapidly on the chalkboard.

Riku followed her movements. Anachronistic, Achillean, bedlam, inherent... He recognized all of these. He stifled a yawn. He had to stay awake, no matter how tired he felt.

"Anachronistic is a description for any object that is existing in a setting where it could not possibly exist. For example, an automobile would be anachronistic in a movie that is set during Renaissance England."

Riku still felt sleepy but he suddenly felt a bit smarter. Huh. That had happened before in class, but he had felt more charming, instead of smarter. What was up with that?

* * *

Riku pulled out his bento box from his bag and headed to Room 2-A. It took only a few moments to get to the classroom.

Hinata was sitting at her desk, eating there. Amagi was nowhere to be seen. That was strange... Would it really be a coincidence that _two _of the transfer students were gone?

"Hinata-san!" he called.

Hinata jumped, looking around to see the source of the sound. She finally noticed him. Her eyes widened with shock. "Riku-kun!"

She stood up to walk up to him. She suddenly hugged him. She pushed him back, looking over him worriedly. "Thank goodness you're okay," she breathed out. "My parents took me to visit you on Sunday... but you wouldn't wake up."

"Haha..." Riku smiled weakly. "Well, I'm fine now." He then glanced over at the desks. "Hinata-san..."

"Drop the '-san'," Hinata interrupted him, giving him a stern look. "We've known each other for _years_!"

"...Fine," Riku relented. "Do you know what's up with Hanamura and Amagi?"

"...No." Hinata shook her head. "It was so weird... I mean, they're really good friends and transfer students. And they don't seem to be ones to just skip out on school. And Amagi-kun's _really _smart."

"And Hanamura is pretty intelligent herself," Riku muttered. "She was able to answer a lot of things during Classic Literature. She just sucks at science and math."

"Riku-kun!" Hinata slapped his arm. "You're one to talk! I had to tutor you for the whole ninth grade for math!"

"Eh."

"Don't 'eh' me!" Another smack, this time on the shoulder. Hinata was glaring at him, but there was no real heat in her gaze.

Riku looked down at her, amused. He pulled up a chair so he could sit next to her. "So, what's been going on?"

Hinata bit her lip. "More of the Lost have been showing up," she muttered. "Yesterday, there were three kids who started rambling about some 'lord' they serve and got all hysterical. They nearly attacked Odagiri-sensei..."

Riku frowned. After hearing about what exactly the Lost were... it was pretty scary. Did this mean that the Great Seal was broken and Nyx was coming back...?

* * *

The rest of the school day flew by quickly. Riku had less make up work than he had expected, to his relief.

He was walking out with Hinata when someone called out to the both of them. "Hinata! Riku-kun!"

Hinata jerked in the direction of the voice, whipping around and her braid nearly whacking Riku in the face. "Mom?"

Indeed, it was Arisato Yukari. At first glance, you would have never guessed that she was Hinata's mother. Hinata had Minato-san's dark blue hair and blue eyes, while Yukari-san had light brown hair and warm brown eyes. But they shared the same taste in color. Yukari-san was wearing a pale pink jacket over a white blouse and a matching skirt.

Yukari-san stopped in front of them, her face serious. "I need you two to come with me."

"H-Huh?" Hinata was blinking in confusion. "What for...?"

"I'll explain along the way," Yukari-san said briskly. She led them to the car. Hinata slid into the passenger seat and Riku went into the back seat.

Hinata glanced over her shoulder, her blue eyes filled with confusion. Riku just shrugged at her.

Yukari-san took her spot in the driver's seat. "Hinata, did you bring what Minato gave you months ago?"

"U-Uh yeah..." Hinata got out. "But Mom, Riku-kun...?"

"He knows," was the brunette's answer. "I'm assuming you know about Shiori-chan and Touya-kun's absences?"

"Wha...?" Hinata seemed stunned. "Mom... you _know _them?"

"I know their parents," Yukari-san said. "I met them years ago. Thirty-one to be exact." Yukari-san then hesitated and she seemed to glance at the mirror; Riku guessed that she was looked at his reflection in the piece of glass. "Last night, Mitsuru received a message from Shiori-chan's older brother. He admitted that she and Touya-kun were dragged into the TV."

They... _what_? Riku couldn't even breathe. On one hand, Amagi and Hanamura were _missing_. But still... they were pulled... into the TV? How was that even possible...?

There was a stunned silence, only for Hinata to break it.

"WHAT?!" Hinata shrieked.

"Did you just..." Riku said slowly, "say that Amagi and Hanamura were pulled into a TV? What kind of joke _is _that?"

"I'm not joking!" Yukari-san sounded exasperated. "I know it sounds really impossible. But Ken-kun told you about what we did in the past. If you can believe in the Dark Hour and Tartarus rising out of Gekkoukan... it doesn't seem as impossible."

Riku still didn't truly believe in that part. Personas and Shadows he could believe, as he had summoned his own Persona and fought a Shadow.

But a tower rising from a school at the stroke of midnight? That sounded like it was from some kind of video game or fantasy movie.

"What does this have to do with us, though?" Hinata asked.

"Sousuke and Shiori's parents and Touya's mother are all Persona users, so we are hypothesizing that they were pulled in because of their parents."

"There are more Persona users?!" Hinata cried.

"Yes." Yukari-san's knuckles had gone white, as she clutched the wheel tightly. "They're all from the country town... Inaba."

"Inaba?!" Hinata demanded. "Isn't that where Yasogami is?!"

"And that's where Mom's from," Riku muttered.

Yukari-san pulled up at the sidewalk. She parked the car before unbuckling herself. A five story apartment building made out of red bricks was apparently their destination. Hinata glanced behind her, looking at Riku. Riku shrugged at her, undoing his seatbelt and getting out of the car. Hinata followed suit.

Someone was waiting at the steps. It was a young man, appearing to be in his early twenties. He was rather short, an entire head shorter than Riku. He had messy, shaggy light brown hair, his floppy bangs falling into his darker brown eyes. He was wearing a green jacket over a black tracksuit.

"Yukari-san..." he greeted. He looked pale, like he hadn't been sleeping well. His eyes were surrounded by dark circles.

"Hello, Sousuke-kun," Yukari-san replied. "You remember Hinata and Riku-kun, don't you?"

"Um, yeah." The man's eyes flickered nervously over to him.

"Have you contacted your parents?" Yukari-san asked as he led them to his apartment.

"Well..."

"Sousuke-kun!" Yukari-san sounded exasperated.

"Mom's gonna _kill _me," Sousuke mumbled out. "She's always babied Shiori, since she was the youngest outta all of us and the only girl. Dad won't be pleased, either."

"Wait a minute," Riku interrupted, holding a hand up. "You're seriously saying that Hanamura and Amagi _really _got dragged into a TV?"

Sousuke sighed. "Do you think I would make this kind of stuff up? I had to wait until Uncle Ted came down here so we could get more info."

"Who...?" Hinata asked.

"Kumada Teddie," Yukari-san answered.

"Doesn't that mean..." Hinata began, her eyebrows furrowed.

"...Bear Bear," Riku finished for her, his voice flat.

"So... why did you bring us?" Hinata tilted her head in confusion.

"For your protection," Yukari-san said, looking completely serious. "It's a high possibility that Touya-kun and Shiori-chan were pulled into the TV because of their parents being Persona users. Or... they have potential of being Persona users."

"Does having a parent who's a Persona user really determine if you have the potential?" Riku asked. "It doesn't necessarily mean it's genetic. Dad told me that it has to do with will."

"While that is true," Yukari-san admitted, "from what we can figure out, some of it is genetic. Minato possesses the Wild Card, as did... our field leader. Minato's younger sister is also a powerful Persona user, capable of using four types of offensive spells, a quite rare occurrence. Usually, a Persona will specialize in only two types of spells. But there are always exceptions."

"Whoa," Hinata breathed, her eyes wide.

"What about Hanamura and Amagi?" Riku asked. "How are we going to even help them? They got pulled in, didn't they? Isn't that a bit... _odd _to you?"

"Well, we won't know until we try," Yukari-san said briskly. She then glanced at Sousuke. "Where _is _the TV, anyways?"

Sousuke strode over to a shut door, pulling it open, revealing a small room with a couple of small couches pushed against the opposite wall and the wall to the right. Against the wall left to the opposite wall was a old model of a television screen, sitting on a table.

Yukari-san leaned toward the screen, reaching out to touch it... and nothing happened. She pursed her lips together. "There is something off to the incident..." she muttered to herself. "We can assume that Shiori-chan and Touya-kun were pulled into the Midnight Channel..."

"What _is_ the Midnight Channel?" Hinata asked.

"A world inside the TV," the brown haired woman answered. "Those thrown inside that world would create a world based on their inner suppressed thoughts." Yukari-san frowned. "But... there is an inconsistency... The Midnight Channel was only accessed in Inaba... So what makes this different?"

Riku noticed a cable connected to the monitor. It led to a sleek silver laptop lying on the floor, with one of the USB ports connected to some kind of controller.

"Sousuke-san," Riku said, "what exactly happened before your sister and Amagi disappeared?"

Sousuke blinked. "Well, they talked to Mikoto pretty close to midnight," Hinata gasped at that, "and then Shiori started talking about using her laptop to play some video game... Uh... I think something that had to do with animals?"

"The _Anima _Legend," Riku guessed.

"The... what?"

"It's some kind of video game," Hinata stated. "A MMORPG... or something like that."

"But I saw Shiori and Touya get dragged into the TV!" Sousuke protested. "It has nothing to do with a video game on the _computer_."

"What about this, then?" Riku picked up the cable, holding it between his index finger and thumb. "This is a HDMI cable, isn't it?"

Sousuke stared at him, his mouth moving but no words coming out. Riku fought the urge to slap his forehead. Good grief.

"So, that's great!" Sousuke suddenly exclaimed. "...Now what?"

Yukari-san sighed. "I need to call Minato-kun. Sousuke-kun, do you have a video phone I can use?"

"Sure, Yukari-san."

"Hinata, Riku-kun, stay here, okay?" Yukari-san called over her shoulder as she was led away.

"All right!" Hinata called.

The door closed, leaving the two of them alone.

"Jeez..." Hinata was now eyeing the fifty inch plasma screen, though keeping a respectable distance. "This looks pretty old, like thirty years old..."

Absentmindedly, Riku brushed a finger on the mousepad; it must have been set to a high sensitivity, because the laptop rebooted. Green letters flashed on the screen, reading _The Anima Legend_, _a journey of the body and soul_.

There was a menu, the template gray and the words gold.

"Riku-kun, what are you doing?" Hinata asked him, turning around to face him. Riku raised his eyes to look at her while he answered, but he choked on his unsaid words.

Wispy black tendrils were sprouting from the television screen, rising just above Hinata's head.

Riku jumped to his feet, shouting, "Hinata, get out of the way!"

Hinata let out a startled cry as many tendrils acting as one wound itself around Hinata's wrist, yanking her toward the screen. Hinata tried to brace her feet and pull free, but a tug sent her stumbling towards the television.

Riku rushed over to her, throwing one arm around her waist, and gripping her wrist with his other hand. Even with their combined weight, they were still slowly being dragged forward. With a final jerk, they fell into the TV screen together.

The last thing Riku heard was the door slamming open and Yukari-san screaming, "Hinata!"

The next thing he knew, they were falling together. Hinata was clinging onto him for dear life while letting out a terrified scream. They were nearing the ground. Riku quickly flipped the two of them so he would land first. He hit the ground hard and sharp pain exploded all over his body. It didn't help that he was acting as Hinata's cushion.

Hinata quickly jumped off of him, kneeling in front of him. She started to gently feel his sides. "Riku-kun, do you feel any pain?" She then smacked her forehead. "Of course, you're hurt. I mean, that fall was like, fifty feet, and you hit the ground and I landed on you, and I'm really, really sorry about that! You don't have any broken bones, right?" She then started rambling about how it was all her fault and how she should've paid attention but Riku stopped her.

"Hinata! It's okay." Riku pushed away her hands away and then sat up.

"W-What is this place...?" Hinata managed to breath out.

To say the atmosphere was disturbing was putting it lightly... very lightly. Despite it being the afternoon, the sickle shaped moon was clearly visible and an eerie green. In fact, the whole area seemed to be tinged with a sickly shade of green. Luckily, the place where he and Hinata had landed seemed to be clean, but blood oozed on the ground. The fountain, the pride of Paulownia Mall, seemed to be flowing with blood instead of water.

Something... just didn't feel right. The air felt heavy, pressing down on them. Riku felt a little dizzy, like he did when he studied for too long without any breaks.

Hinata helped him stand up by taking his hand but she wouldn't let go after he was on his feet.

"...Hinata, you could let go, now," Riku stated.

"Uh..." Hinata's cheeks were pink with embarrassment. "I-It's dark and um, well..."

"...You're still afraid of the dark."

"S-Shut up! You don't have to tease me about it!" Hinata huffed out, pulling her hand out of his and she was blushing even harder now.

Riku gave her a dry look. "Calm down. I'm not accusing you of anything."

Hinata was now wringing her hands, biting her bottom lip. "This place is really freaky..." she muttered. "We have to get out of here now!"

"Okay, okay, just calm down," Riku told her. "Freaking out isn't going to help."

"Okay..."

Riku walked forward where the reverse pharmacy's door was. Before he could even reach for the latch, something burst from the shadows, a black blob.

No... a Shadow.

It lunged forward.

"R-RUN!"

Riku didn't need to be told twice. They sprinted away in the opposite direction.

Riku took the chance to glance over his shoulder. The Shadow was still chasing them.

Something in the back of his mind was reacting to the Shadow and it was starting to give Riku a headache. He tried to will it to go away.

The Shadow charged forward.

Before Riku could react, he was shoved to the ground. "H-Hey!" Hinata shouted, but her voice was trembling. "It's me you want!"

The Shadow let out a growl. A blue aura flared around Hinata and then there was the sound of glass shattering. The Shadow moved slightly backwards as if it was surprised.

Something... was forming above Hinata's head, ruffling her blue hair.

She was about the same size as Aion. She had long, pale pink hair that reached to her knees. In her hands were two knives with curved blades, both as long as Riku's entire arm. A gold braided cloth was wrapped around her torso, though it left some of her abdomen exposed. A sea green loin cloth was all she wore from the waist down. Her skin was ice blue. White shells adorned her wrists.

Hinata... had a Persona...

"Venus, Bufu!" she ordered, pointing at the Shadow.

Venus cupped her hands together, raising it close to her lips and blew an icy blue mist. It struck the Shadow, earning a hiss of pain from it.

The Shadow let out a growl before a wave of fire pulsated from its body. The attack missed Riku, but he heard Hinata cry out from pain. His hands clenched into fists. He rose to his feet. A card appeared, spinning in place. He reached out, crushing the card by closing his hand over it. The same sound that had resounded when Hinata had summoned her Persona echoed in the plaza.

Aion appeared, brandishing his naginata.

"Aion, Zio!" he shouted.

Aion zapped the Shadow once more, though this attack didn't seem to faze it too much, as if it was strong against electric attacks.

The Shadow crawled over to him, slashing Riku in the leg. Riku let out a groan as he collapsed and Aion disappeared.

"Venus, Single Shot!" Hinata cried, seemingly recovered.

Venus jumped, taking flight and she dive bombed at the Shadow, plunging her two knives at the same time into it. Black oozed from its body; Riku guessed it was the Shadows' version of blood. It let out a shriek as it seemed to topple to the ground, lying helplessly.

"Venus, Dia!" A warm sensation enveloped Riku's body, alleviating some of the pain he felt. Riku pushed himself up, summoning Aion once more.

"Hinata!" Riku shouted. "We have to synchronize our attacks! Have Venus use Bufu again."

"Gotcha!" Hinata replied before turning to her Persona once again. "Venus, Bufu, once more!"

"Aion, to the air!" Riku ordered. Just as the ice attack was about to hit the Shadow, he shouted, "Zio!"

The electric bolt landed just as Bufu connected. The Shadow let out a shriek before disintegrating into black dust.

Riku felt a surge of energy, like he and Aion had grown stronger. And it seemed like he knew a new attack... Tarunda?

...He would think about it later. He dismissed Aion.

"All right!" Riku heard Hinata cheer. Cards were forming in his head. Riku blinked in confusion. Was this what Igor was talking about...?

There seemed to be a Persona among the cards. He picked that one.

_Thou art I... and I am thou, _a different voice echoed in his mind. _I am Sandman_.

Sandman, huh? This one seemed to have a move called Garu. What was that?

"Jeez, that was tiring," Hinata groaned. "We should get outta here..."

"Right." Riku sighed before rubbing the back of his head. He was guessing that all of the stores were all off limit...

A pale gold glow caught his eye. The police station... There was some kind of spiraling object where the door was... A portal?

"Hinata, come on." He walked toward the station. He heard Hinata walk after him. "I think this is the way back," he said slowly.

"I don't know..." Hinata sounded dubious.

Riku sighed. "We won't know until we try."

"I guess so," Hinata muttered. Riku rolled his eyes at her before reaching out to take her hand.

He then stepped through.

Before he knew it, he and Hinata were sprawled on the floor.

"HINATA!"

Riku rolled over on his back just in time to see Yukari-san squeeze Hinata in a tight hug.

"Agh!" Hinata groaned. "Mom... I need... to... breath..."

"Right." Yukari-san released her, smoothing Hinata's hair. "What happened?"

"It's a long story..." Hinata began.

"Then starting talking," Yukari-san demanded.

Hinata glanced at Riku. "Do you want me to tell her?"

Riku shrugged. "Doesn't matter either way," he replied.

Hinata then recounted everything about the mysterious world in what seemed to be the video game.

The blood drained out of Yukari-san's face. "Hinata, tell me about the atmosphere."

"Hmm? Well, it looked like it was night. And... the moon was green. And the liquid in there looked like blood."

"Oh God," Yukari-san breathed out, her brown eyes wide with horror. "This is _not _good."

* * *

Ken was _not _happy when Hinata and her parents came to the Amada household to drop Riku off and Hinata's mother repeated the events of the afternoon.

Hinata's parents, Hinata, Riku, and Ken were gathered in the living room, all seated on the sofas. Nanako was upstairs, making sure that Riku's younger siblings didn't come down.

He stayed quiet throughout Yukari-san's story, and remained silent for a long time after the woman finished.

"...Are you all right, Riku?"

"Yes," Riku sighed. "I got bruised up from the fall and I got some scratches from the Shadow but that's it."

Ken-san was studying Riku, a worried expression on his face.

"We're dealing with a brand new nest of Shadows," Hinata's father noted, probably as a way to change the subject.

"Tartarus, the Midnight Channel..." Yukari-san said thoughtfully. "A school, a special TV program, and now... a video game."

"The Shadow Operatives need to look into this," his father muttered. "_If _they decide this is important enough to investigate into."

Minato-san raised an eyebrow at Ken. "You were the one who left the Shadow Ops."

Ken stiffened. "You know my reasons why."

"What are the Sh-" Riku began, but he caught sight of Hinata quickly shaking her head at him. He shut his mouth close.

"_Anyways_," Yukari-san said quickly, "I hope that Fuuka comes back to Japan soon. She's the only member of SEES that's out of the country right now."

"What about Fuuka-san?" Riku raised an eyebrow at that.

"Fuuka's a Persona user as well," Minato-san said, "but her Persona is not battle oriented. Hers is an analysis Persona. She could probably give us more information on the area. And she could also scan your Persona."

"Scan for what?"

"What attacks your Persona possesses, what attacks it's strong against and weak to, things like that."

"...You can only have one?" Riku asked cautiously.

Ken _stared _in disbelief at Riku while Hinata gasped. Yukari-san's eyes went wide. Minato-san made no visible reaction.

"No, it's very possible for you to wield multiple Personas," Minato-san stated with a wry smile. "I'm assuming that you're a guest of the Velvet Room?"

"What's the Velvet Room?" Hinata asked.

"'A place that exists between mind and matter'," Riku quoted. Hinata stared blankly at him.

"It's a room that only people who have entered contracts are allowed accessed to," Minato-san said. "Igor, the main proprietor, calls the power all guests of that room share _the Wild Card, _the ability to possess multiple Personas."

"Why Riku-kun, though?" Hinata asked with a frown.

"One of the residents said I was related to a past guest," Riku recalled. "Did Dad have a parent or sibling who was a Persona user?"

"Not that I know of," Ken said. "Your mother's cousin is the one being referred to." He grimaced, as if he was thinking of a bad memory. "...Trust me, I know."

...What was that supposed to mean?

Yukari-san stifled a giggle. "You survived his and Dojima-san's interrogations, didn't you?"

"Still doesn't make it any better."

Riku exchanged a confused look with Hinata. His mother's... cousin? Riku tried to recall if he had ever met any of his mother's relatives other than his grandfather. He was pulling a blank, though.

"So... when are we gonna go back?" Hinata ventured.

"_What?" _Ken demanded, folding his arms over his chest. "Who said that you would be going back in there?"

"Shiori-chan and Amagi-kun are trapped inside!" Hinata protested. "We _have_ to help them!

"No, the Shadow Operatives can handle it," Ken said sternly. "There's no need for you to risk your lives."

"But Ken-san, you were _eleven _when you fought Shadows!" Hinata argued. "We're five years older than you were! Plus, you just said that the Shadow Ops might not even tend to this immediately!"

"The circumstances are different." Riku noted that there was now a strain to his father's voice.

"We can't wait for them," Riku said. "You told me that Shadows are dangerous, even those to Persona users. Hanamura and Amagi are defenseless and probably really disoriented and confused. We need to act _now_."

"Why... do you want to do this?" Ken demanded, his voice wavering.

Riku hesitated. He had no idea why his father was so _against _this, but he needed to help Hanamura and Amagi. They didn't deserve to die. Not this way.

"Because it's the right thing," Riku said simply.

There was such a conflicted expression on Ken's face that it almost made Riku want to take it back...

"...I have no choice, do I?" Ken sighed. "Very well."

"We could always have an analyst come with the kids," Yukari-san suggested. "How about Kumada-san?"

"No," Minato-san said immediately.

"Why not?"

"Kumada has a dirty mind."

"Oh, _come on_, it's not like he's going to hit on Hinata or something! He's married, remember?"

"I have to agree with Minato," Ken added his two cents.

"Not you too, Ken-kun!"

As the three adults bickered about Kumada-san, Riku stood up, beckoning Hinata to follow him. He walked into the kitchen.

"What's up, Riku-kun?" Hinata asked.

Riku leaned against the counter, rubbing his eyes. "Did... I do the right thing?" he asked. "Dad was so against it and I felt bad for pushing him..."

Hinata drew closer, clasping one of his hands in both of hers. "You definitely did," she said sincerely. "I'm really glad that you convinced him. I... don't want to do this alone, even if I managed to convince Mom and Dad."

Riku smiled back at her. "Of course. We're a team now, right?"

"Of course!" Hinata nodded firmly. "We've gotta watch each other backs now."

Riku could feel Hinata's determination and his heart was stirring in response...

_Thou art I... and I am thou_, the same voice echoed in his mind. _Thou hast established a new bond. Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Temperance Arcana. _

Another Social Link, huh?

"Whatcha doing?!" The door swung open and Kairi bounded in. She immediately zoned in on their clasped hands. "Ooooh, Big Bro, are you gonna ask Hinata to be your princess?"

"W-Wha?!" Hinata was blushing and she snatched her hands away. Riku quickly backed away from her, feeling his own cheeks warm up. "Kairi-chan... don't be ridiculous! We're just friends! Ahahaha..."

Kairi suddenly latched onto Riku's leg, hugging it. "C'mon, Big Bro," she whined, "I want a big sister! Can't you find a girlfriend? Don'tcha think that Hinata is pretty?!"

Riku gulped. He didn't know what to say. If he did something to upset Kairi, she would cry and that was _bad_. On the other hand, if he accidentally offended Hinata, she would probably find a more painful way to punish him.

He still remembered how his mother was while pregnant with Kairi. _That _had been terrifying. Even the most gentle woman could become a force to be reckoned with when pushed.

"What's wrong, Kairi?" Riku asked, keeping his voice light as he scooped her up, settling her on his hip. "Am I not good for you anymore?"

"'Course not, Big Bro!" Kairi exclaimed.

"Well... you still need to be punished..." Riku said slowly before using his free hand to tickle her belly.

"Aaaaah!" Kairi cried, as she tried to squirm away. "No! S-Stop it! Hehe! That tickles!"

"That's the point!" Riku told her as he continued to tickle her everywhere. Kairi's giggles echoed in the room until Riku finally set her on the floor. "Enough?"

Kairi bobbed her head just as Haru walked in.

"Oh, hey, Haru-kun," Hinata greeted. "I thought Nanako-san was supposed to keep you upstairs."

"Yeah, but then Kairi kept saying that she wanted a snack..."

Riku turned around, just in time to see Kairi climbing the counter, snatching up the jar which their mother kept the konpeito. (#1)

"Kairi, no!" Riku scolded, running over to her. "You know that Mom doesn't let you have sugar after dinner!" He pulled the jar out of her hands.

Kairi pouted. "But konpeito is so yummy!"

Riku sighed. He walked over to Hinata. "Here. Hold this. And don't let Haru have any either."

He ignored Haru's indignant denials that he would never eat anything so _girlishly sweet_, before lifting Kairi off the counter, and placing her on his hip. He scanned the fruit bowl before grabbing a peach, one of Kairi's favorite fruits. He set her down so he could wash the fruit, while keeping one eye on her.

"Haru, do you want anything?" he asked. "What about you, Hinata?"

"Uh, that's okay..."

Hinata laughed. "I'm good."

Riku shook off the excessive water droplets before he pulled out a knife. He cut it into eight pieces, throwing away the pit. He placed the slices on a clean plate, handing it to Kairi. "Here. You can eat this."

Kairi started on the first piece when Riku walked over to Hinata.

"Thanks, Hinata," he said as she gave him the jar.

"I don't blame her," Hinata said. "Konpeito is really good."

"Thank you Hinata!" Kairi said, her voice muffled as her mouth was filled. Riku stuck the jar in the cupboard.

Haru rolled his eyes and Kairi stuck her tongue out at him in response.

Haru sighed. "Well, I'm going to bed. It's late. Night, nii-san, Hinata-san, and Kairi!" He then headed out of the kitchen.

It was quiet as Kairi finished her snack. "All done!" she sang out, proudly presenting Riku the empty plate. Riku smiled amusedly as he ruffled her hair.

Hinata giggled as Kairi ran off. "She's so cute." Riku placed the plate in the sink.

She seemed to be watching him... Riku raised an eyebrow as he turned around. "What?"

"Oh, nothing. You're just really good with Kairi. You'll make a good dad someday."

Riku stared at her blankly.

"I-I don't mean nowhere near in the future!" Hinata stammered out. "You probably shouldn't be a dad for like ten years and uh..." She was now fumbling for words.

"Riku, Hinata!" Riku heard his father shout.

"Coming!" Riku shouted back. Then to Hinata: "Come on."

His father and Hinata's parents were still sitting around the table, but another man sat next to Ken.

"So, we've contacted Kumada-san," Yukari-san began, "and he's agreed to assist you in the exploration." Minato muttered something, probably something uncomplimentary, judging by the way Yukari-san glared at her husband.

"Now then," Minato-san stated, "we'll need to go over some things. Such as-"

"How about you appoint a leader?"

Minato-san rolled his eyes at the newcomer, a bearded man barely taller than him. He had graying dark hair and smoky blue eyes. "Of _course_, you would suggest that, Junpei."

"Man," Junpei-san was saying, "I would have thought that Ken would throw a fit when Riku decided to get into the Shadow business 'cause of what happened-"

"Junpei!" Minato-san interrupted him, giving a sharp look. "Enough."

Junpei-san winced, letting out a forced laugh. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry."

Riku blinked in confusion. He looked over to Hinata; she looked clueless to what Junpei-san was alluding to, as well. Ken was as stiff as a board.

"As I was saying," Minato-san said. "You need to pick a weapon to use while fighting Shadows. For example, when SEES was fighting Shadows, both Junpei and I used swords, but I used short swords because it was more manageable and it was more flexible for me. Junpei preferred using more power, so he used bigger and heavier swords."

"Pffffffft!" Junpei started to snicker, an oh-so-familiar grin on his face. "Just... swords... They're, y'know..." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at the blue haired man.

...You have _got_ to be kidding.

Hinata was averting her eyes, a light pink dusting on her cheeks.

Ken sighed and Yukari-san looked ticked off, though she didn't say anything.

"And I asked Junpei to bring some of our old weapons," Minato-san continued, ignoring Junpei-san's remark; either he was very used to this kind of thing or he had a good poker face. Or maybe both. Then to Junpei-san: "Where are they?"

"I moved them to the backyard. 'Cause I don't think Ken would've appreciated if we busted up the place."

"Ah." Minato-san rose to his feet. "Shall we?"

* * *

"You brought Shinjiro-senpai's old _axes_?" Yukari-san demanded. "What were you thinking?"

A wooden table was set up in the backyard, with spears, swords, naginatas, axes, rapiers, guns, bows and arrows, and gloves littered the table.

Riku picked up the spear. It felt unbalanced in his hand. He quickly set it down.

"What's wrong with that?" Junpei-san asked, his question directed to Yukari-san.

"Look at them! Do you think that they could carry, let alone _use _battleaxes?!"

"I just grabbed everything we had, okay?! No need to yell at me, woman!"

Ignoring Yukari-san and Junpei-san's bickering, Riku chose a sword. It felt somewhat heavy in his hand, but it felt more balanced than any of the other weapons he chosen.

Hinata had chosen a naginata. "I like this," she said, adjusting her grip on it. "What about you, Riku-kun?"

"I'm going with this," Riku stated, holding up the sword. "Is there anything else that we need...?"

Junpei-san cheerfully produced _another _box. "Of course! Armor! Oh, and you need to pick a field leader."

"You're never going to let that go, aren't you?" Minato-san rolled his eyes.

"It's no contest," Hinata said. "Riku-kun, duh."

...What.

"Why _me_?" Riku demanded. "I'm not a leader!"

"Usually when a girl gives you control, just accept it!" Junpei-san told him.

"What's the matter, Junpei-san?" Riku asked, an irritated edge to his voice. "You talk as if you know from... experience."

Hinata gaped at him while Junpei-san sputtered. Minato-san pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out a heavy sigh.

"Amada Riku," Ken began sternly, an edge to his voice, his eyes narrowed. "_What _did you just say to Junpei?"

"Hey, hey, it's all cool, Ken," Junpei-san said with a forced laugh. "I was kinda asking for it, hehe."

"...Can we go back inside?" Hinata pleaded. "It's so dark..."

Everyone gave her a funny look.

"W-What!? Don't you dare make fun of me!"

* * *

_Thursday, 13 April, 2043._

The day dragged on slowly. It was Riku's turn to help clean up the classroom. It was a long and tedious task, with sweeping the floors and etc.

There were two other students helping in the task. One was a girl named Teramoto Megumi. She had dark hair that she wore long, falling to her waist. Her eyes were brown.

The second was a boy, Asakura Ryuu. He was quite tall, though not as tall as Aragaki-senpai. He had shaggy light brown, almost blond hair and bright blue eyes. Although Riku didn't know him personally, he knew that Asakura was the son of a politician.

"Phew!" Teramoto huffed, wiping sweat from her brow. "I'm done!" She ripped off the cloth protecting her hair, tossing it to the side.

"Oi!" Asakura snapped. "Where do you thinking you're going?! We still have a ton to do!"

"Well, too bad!" Teramoto flipped her hair over her shoulder. "I've got club to attend to. See ya!" She dashed off.

Riku rolled his eyes. "Typical."

Asakura let out a muttered curse. "_Girls_," he said with distaste.

Riku dumped the recycled paper in the bin. "It can't be helped."

It was quiet as they continued cleaning. It wasn't until four thirty when they finally finished everything.

"I'm bushed," Asakura sighed, his hand reaching up to brush his bangs out of his eyes. "Hey... You're Amada, right?"

"That's correct," Riku said with a nod.

"I just wanted to say thanks," he said, smiling nervously. "You're a new student, so if you wanna hang out... feel free to hit me up. I'm usually free on Mondays and Wednesdays."

"I'll keep that in mind, thanks."

_Thou art I... and I am thou_. _Thou hast established a new bond. Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Emperor Arcana. _

Three Social Links... Haru, Hinata, and now Asakura.

"Will you stop daydreaming already?" Hinata had somehow managed to sneak behind him, tapping her foot impatiently.

"Right," Riku said as he stored away the cleaning cloth. He grabbed his bag and followed Hinata, calling over his shoulder, "See you, Asakura!"

"Same!"

"Isn't there supposed to be three people cleaning each classroom?" Hinata asked him as they walked into the lobby and then out of the school.

"She ditched us," Riku snorted.

"...Oh." Hinata grabbed his wrist, pulling him underneath a cherry blossom tree. "So, I hooked up the TV at my house to my laptop close to midnight, because that's when Shiori-chan and Amagi-kun got pulled in... And some weird portal appeared... I didn't do anything about it, but I think it's a good idea to check it out again tonight. Do you think you can come to my house tonight?"

"Hold on, I need to check with my mom." Riku pulled out his phone, dialing his mother's cell. It rang three times before she picked up.

"_Hello?" _

"Hey, Mom, it's Riku," he began. "It's about... the Anima Legend. I was wondering if I could go to Hinata's house tonight, so we can test out a theory. Is that fine with you?"

"_Of course_!" Nanako responded. "_Just have Hinata-chan call home first to check if it's okay." _

"Okay." Riku pulled the phone away from his ear, holding his hand over it. "Mom says it's all right. She told me that you need to call home for permission, though."

"Gotcha!" Hinata reached into her purse, fishing out her own phone. She called her dad, since her mother was probably at work at the hospital.

Riku raised the phone up to his ear once again. "Mom, I'm going to go now, okay? Bye."

"_Bye Riku. Love you_."

"Love you too." Riku hung up and then stowed away his phone.

"Dad says it's fine for me to come home with you," Hinata told him.

"Okay. Well, let's get going."

Riku headed off, walking toward the monorail. They boarded it, managing to snag two seats near the front.

The ride was quiet. Riku felt worn out and Hinata was tired from having to handle things for Gymnastics Club.

The monorail pulled at Iwatodai Station so they got off.

"So, Riku-kun... how do you like Gekkoukan?"

Riku shrugged. "School's school. I'm still adjusting."

"What was America like?"

"Noisy."

Hinata giggled. "I guess that means you hated it then."

"What do you think?" Riku deadpanned.

"Oh hush," Hinata ordered, though she was trying to keep the amusement out of her voice. "I'm just trying to make small talk!"

They reached Hinata's house by now and she pulled out a key, unlocking the front door.

Joyful barks echoed in the hallway as a white shiba inu puppy scampered up to them, jumping up onto Hinata.

"Whoa!" Hinata exclaimed as the dog backed up, landing on all four of his feet, letting out a happy bark. She bent down to pet him on the head, scratching right behind his ears. "I'm glad to be home, too, Kaito. But I'm going to be gone for a while. I just needed to grab something..."

Kaito let out a whimper, his ears drooping.

"I'll take you on a nice long walk tomorrow night," Hinata promised. "We could go to the shrine, if you want."

Kaito barked before scrambling away.

"I didn't know you had a dog..."

"Oh, you know the Ioris' dog, right? She had a litter six months ago, and we adopted one of them." Hinata led him to just outside her room. "Wait here."

She opened the door, leaving it ajar. He could hear her going through her things, mumbling to herself.

"Where did I put it... Oh yeah, in the closet!" Another door opened and Hinata emerged from the room, holding the naginata.

She led him to the living room, where a large flat screen TV was, with what presumably was Hinata's laptop hooked up to it.

It was now five thirty, so they had a lot of time to kill.

"So..." Hinata began, "how about we get started on homework while we wait?"

* * *

The hours passed by quickly as they worked on their homework. At seven, Minato-san came home, informing them that Yukari-san had to stay late tonight.

At ten, Kumada-san arrived at the house. He was... eccentric, to put it lightly. He had that _look _to him, like Junpei-san did.

"Are you ready?"

The three of them were standing in front of the TV. It was nearly midnight.

The screen flared to life, the static screen turning an eerie green.

Hinata turned to Riku, exclaiming, "Let's go!"

* * *

#1: Konpeito is a star shaped sugar rock candy.

#2: Just so everyone knows, I'll be using all of the status conditions from both games. However, I replaced panic with silenced, since they're pretty much the same.

* * *

**Academics: **Hare-brained (Level 1/5) [+2]

**Charm: **Lackluster (Level 1/5) [+4]

**Courage: **Scaredy-cat (Level 1/5) [+0]

* * *

**Kinda lame ending, but oh well. **

**So! Some of the Social Links have been initiated! And the world inside the Anima Legend has been revealed.**

**And just where are Shiori and Touya in the Anima Legend? You'll have to wait to find out~ **

**So, how am I doing with the descriptions? I'm always concerned about the details, ahahahaha... **

**And what do you think about Hinata already possessing a Persona? **

**REVIEWS ARE LOVE **


	4. IV: The Magician's Secret

**Persona: Renaissance**

**Chapter IV**

**The Magician's Secret**

* * *

_Thursday, 13 April, 2043. _

This second trip to the Anima Legend was kinder to Riku. He tumbled to the ground, but at least it didn't feel that he had any more bruises.

"Owww," Hinata moaned somewhere beside him. "Gymnastics hurts less than this..."

Riku staggered to his feet, rubbing his sore back. Hinata was getting to her feet as well, mumbling something under her breath.

The Anima Legend had changed. The sky was now blood red and the moon now more resembled a scythe than a crescent.

"Kumada-san," he said, "can you detect Hanamura?"

The blond man sniffed the air, his face scrunching up in concentration. "I, uh... I've got nothing." Kumada-san's expression drooped. "I guess I'm no help... I wish Rise-chan was here..."

"Don't say that!" Hinata exclaimed, walking over to him, looking up at the man. "Mom told me that you helped locate some people in the Midnight Channel... How did you do that?"

"Um, well..." Kumada-san frowned. "When I had to sniff out people in the TV, I usually needed some kind of hint, to get to know the person better. Well, 'cept for Yuki-chan. But I've known Shiori-chan since she was little... So I dunno what's wrong..." His expression became melancholy.

Kumada-san knew Hanamura, huh? He must have been friends with her parents, then. Amagi, too.

"Well, who else is Shiori close to?" Hinata asked. "Amagi-kun's a childhood friend of hers, but he's obviously out of the question."

"Oh!" Kumada-san's expression brightened. "You should ask Miko-chan, then!"

"Do you mean _Tatsumi Mikoto_?" Hinata asked slowly.

"Yeah, that's her!" Kumada-san said cheerfully.

"Do you know her?" Riku asked.

"I should know my cousin, Riku-kun," Hinata said dryly.

...What.

"Her mom is my dad's little sister," Hinata explained. "Aunt Naoto's usually out because of her job, since she's a detective, but Uncle Kanji and their kids stay at Tatsumi Textiles in Inaba. Mikoto's their youngest child and a year younger than us. I never thought Shiori-chan would know her, ahaha..."

Riku sighed heavily. "I suppose that you can contact your cousin and see if we can get some information out of her?"

"I guess..." Hinata said. She rubbed the back of her head before turning the man with them. "Um, sorry, Kumada-san, for bringing you all the way here for nothing..." She smiled sheepishly.

"'s okay, Hina-chan!" Kumada-san said cheerfully. "You've gotta do whatcha you gotta to save Shiori-chan."

...Wait a minute... If Kumada-san was like some kind of uncle-like figure to Hanamura... Was _he _the reason why Hanamura was so messed up?

Hinata nudged Riku. "What's wrong? You look annoyed."

"...It's nothing," Riku said after a moment. "Let's go back."

* * *

_Friday, 14 April, 2043._

Hinata glared at her Japanese-English dictionary, which laid innocuously by her English homework. "Stupid English," she grumbled under her breath. "Why do I need to take this stupid class? I can just look up what people are saying with my phone."

Hinata had no problem with kanji for Japanese, but the western alphabet? Forget it.

Her vision was starting to swim from staring at the foreign language.

Maybe if Riku came to her house early enough, she could have him explain the lesson. English tenses were just _ridiculous_. And there were so many exceptions that it drove Hinata _crazy_. At least with math, it was just memorizing formulas and just applying them.

She jumped as the doorbell rang. She leaped to her feet, hurrying to answer the door. She pulled the door open to reveal Riku. A scabbard hung from his waist and he was carrying a bag. He was wearing his school uniform still for some reason...

She took the bag and walked back to the living room. She heard Riku pull off his shoes and setting them on the floor.

"What's in the bag?" she asked.

"Your dad already gave us some supplies last time, but I went shopping before coming here," Riku explained. "I got more of the status curing items he had described to us, and some more medicine for injuries."

"Oh. Um, how much was it...?" Hinata let out a nervous laugh. It had never occurred to her to gather more supplies...

"About..." Riku's forehead crinkled as he thought, "twelve thousand yen?" #1

...TWELVE THOUSAND?!

"Where did you get twelve thousand yen?!" Hinata shrieked.

"My dad gave most of it to me."

...Oh. Well, that made sense, since Ken-san was a lawyer.

"Now then," Riku said, "are we gonna contact your cousin?"

Hinata nodded before setting the bag on the couch and then she grabbed her laptop. The webcam was already built in, so all she had to do is find Mikoto and ask for a video chat.

"Wait," Riku said suddenly. "Shouldn't you change into your school uniform?"

Hinata looked down before her face grew hot. She had completely forgotten that she was _wearing her robe_.

"I-I'm g-gonna go c-change," she stammered out, her face still red.

She hastily went to the room, shutting the door behind her. She grabbed her school uniform, tossing it on the bed. She shrugged off her robe after she untied it and then pulled off her pajamas.

A couple minutes later, she emerged from her room, tugging at her pink sweater, smoothing out the wrinkles.

Riku was sitting on the sofa. He was speaking to someone on the phone.

"It's fine, Kumada-san," he was saying. "We haven't even spoken with Mikoto-san yet or if she'll give us the information we need..." He was trailing off and uncertainty flickered in his eyes.

Riku was always so quiet that Hinata didn't know what he was thinking most of the time. And even if it was doubt, Hinata liked seeing it.

"Uh huh. You have the directions to Hinata's house?"

Kumada-san responded, his voice resounding from Riku's phone; it was too fast for Hinata to understand, so she had no idea how Riku could listen to him.

"All right, we'll see you soon." Riku shut his phone. He ran a hand through his already messy hair, mussing it up even more. He turned to face her, quirking up an eyebrow. "How long have you been standing there?"

"U-Um, not too long." Hinata started to fiddle with her braid.

Riku tilted his head at her.

"W-What?"

"Oh, nothing," he said. "I was just thinking... shouldn't you change your hairstyle?"

"And why?" Hinata asked with her eyes narrowed, irritation flickering inside her.

"What if... your hair gets caught on something when we're running from Shadows or something?" Riku asked. "Wouldn't a ponytail be better for that?"

"...Oh. I suppose you're right." Hinata reached for her hair ribbon, deftly untying it. She ran her fingers through the plait, undoing the braid. She tossed her hair over her shoulder and was about to gather it in a high ponytail and use the ribbon to fasten it in place when she saw Riku looking at her, more intense than usual.

She felt her face grow hot and she let go of her hair.

"N-Now what?"

Riku blinked a few times and then shook his head. "Nothing. You just... look good when your hair's down. You should wear it down more often."

"I-I'll think about it."

Why did she feel so flustered? This was _Riku_. It wasn't some boy from school or anything! Hinata quickly tied her hair up, using her hair ribbon to secure it.

She cleared her throat. "Ready to call Mikoto-chan?"

Riku nodded.

She walked over to the table, grabbing her laptop. She booted it up and found the application for video chatting. It was only seven in the evening, so plenty of people were online.

She sent in a request to video chat with Mikoto. Mikoto quickly answered with a yes.

An image of Mikoto flashed on.

Mikoto was wearing a dress that vaguely reminded Hinata of Chinese vintage. It was royal purple with black butterflies stitched on, and a black sash was wrapped around her waist. Mikoto's blue-black hair was down.

Mikoto narrowed her eyes at them. "Whataya want, Hinata and guy-I-don't-know?"

Hinata wanted to laugh at the stupefied look on Riku's face. His eyes were wide with shock, and he was gaping at the screen.

Hinata elbowed Riku in the ribs. "Be nice, _Miko-chan_," she said. "Riku-kun isn't used to seeing such a cute girl."

"S-Shuddup, Hinata!" Mikoto snapped, her cheeks turning bright red. "I ain't cute! And don't call me that! I ain't some cutesy girl like you!"

"Yes, you're hideous," Riku deadpanned.

Hinata smacked him on the shoulder.

"Well, you're no looker either," Mikoto retorted, her eyes still narrowed. "And here's a hint, girls don't find it attractive when you resemble a goldfish when looking at her."

Riku opened his mouth to retort, his eyes narrowed, when Hinata slapped her hand over his mouth. "Oh, _Riku-kun_," she said, making her voice saccharine and giving him a sweet smile, "please, don't anger my _darling _cousin."

"...Don't do that," Riku said after Hinata removed her hand from his mouth. He seemed to shudder. "It's... disturbing."

Hinata smiled sweetly at him again. "Then play nice."

Riku muttered something under his breath that sounded oddly close to "shut up".

"Are you two done?" Mikoto deadpanned.

"Done with what?"

Her cousin rolled her eyes. "You know what, figure it out yourselves. What do ya want, Hinata?"

"You know that Shiori-chan and Amagi-kun are missing, right?"

Mikoto snorted. "Don't I know it? I was there when Sousuke called Uncle Yosuke and Aunts Chie and Yukiko. Aunt Chie flipped her _lid_." Although her tone was casual, worry flickered in Mikoto's gray-blue eyes. She then narrowed her eyes. "Why do you want to know?"

Hinata glanced at Riku. She didn't know how to continue from here... How could she say, 'Oh, we know where Shiori and Amagi-kun are, but we need to go into a world where fragments of human's dark side would try to attack us.'

Mikoto would probably call her crazy.

"Hanamura and Amagi have been dragged into a place where people's repressed feelings exist and will kill them if we don't rescue them. And we need to know some information to help locate them."

Hinata slapped her forehead. Why, Riku, _why_? Why, of all times, did he choose to be so blunt?!

Mikoto just stared, her mouth slightly opening, before bursting out laughing. "Dude, have you been hanging with Shiori and playing some of her games? Because that's something outta a video game!"

Hinata whacked Riku upside on the head, before turning back to Mikoto. "Please, Mikoto-chan," she said, "Riku-kun's not lying. Kumada-san-"

"Whoa, whoa, _whoa_," Mikoto interrupted, holding up a hand. "_Who?" _

"Are you deaf?" Riku asked snidely. "Hinata said Kumada-san."

"Riku-kun!" Hinata snapped, slapping his arm. "Don't insult my cousin! And that was rude!"

"She started it," Riku muttered, sounding pretty childish. "And quit hitting me."

"What are you, _five_? Don't be so petty! And I'll stop hitting you when you stop being rude!" Hinata retorted, emphasizing her declaration by repeatedly smacking his arm.

"Before you two started this mock argument," Mikoto drawled, "I was gonna say that I know Kumada-san. Though, most of us just called 'im Uncle Ted."

Well, Kumada-san _did _say that he had known Shiori since she was little... And who was 'us' as Mikoto put it...? And what was that about a _mock _argument?

"I guess if Uncle Ted's involved, the story's true." Mikoto sighed. "A'ight, I'll tell ya somethin' about Shiori." She brushed a stray strand of hair from her face. "Shiori got interested in kendo when she was... eh, seven or eight? Yeah, I'd say eight. Her gran and gramps on Aunt Chie's side run a dojo in Inaba, so I guess she would've gotten interested in _something_. She got real into it, so she improved fast. By the time she and Touya were in the eighth grade, she was already _ikkyu_."

...Ikkyu? Wait, if Shiori achieved that rank, that meant that she barely made the cut for the age requirement. Hinata couldn't help but feel impressed.

"Anyways, that's when it really turned bad. Kendo's a mainly guy sport, so she turned heads whenever she showed at competitions and stuff like that. A lot of guys harassed her about it, telling her to go learn tea ceremony or some other girly thing. 'Course, she kicked their asses during the fight, but then they went on and on about how they went easy on her 'cause she was a girl. Tch, they're such assholes." Mikoto scowled. "A lot of the same people in town give the same shit to Touya for being half Japanese, half American. Shiori gets so pissed at 'im for not standing up for himself. She can't stand to see people being harassed things outta their control, let alone something they chose."

"...And?" Hinata prompted.

"Thass all I've got." Something seemed to strike Mikoto. "Oh, wait! There's something else... Before she and Touya got on that train to go to that fancy schools of yours, she mentioned that... 'she hoped that Gekkou would be more open minded when it came to girls playing kendo'." Mikoto paused for a moment, taking the time to grab a bottle offscreen and take a swig. "I'm guessing Shiori still has those red highlights in her hair, yeah? She always said that she stood out already, so why not add to it?"

"Does that mean her dramatics are an act?" Riku asked hopefully.

Hinata rolled her eyes. Oh for the love of... Shiori wasn't that annoying when she got like that. She actually found her acts kinda funny.

"Nah, she was always like that." Mikoto shrugged. "Aunt Rise corrupted her."

Riku slumped in his seat and Hinata couldn't hold back a giggle. He folded his arms over his chest, frowning deeply. "So we can conclude that Hanamura has a problem with people giving her problems for liking kendo..."

Sexism... Oh, she has had to deal with that before... But she tried to not let it get to her, since that was what the gossipers thrived on.

"...Okay, I think we have information for Kumada-san," Riku said after a moment. "Thanks, Tatsumi-san."

"Don't call me that," Mikoto nearly snarled, scowling again. "Makes me sound old. You're Hinata's age, aren't ya? That means you'd be my senpai if we went to the same school." She crossed her arms over her chest. "And about Touya..."

"Yeah?" Hinata nodded.

"Well... I think he feels like he's not Japanese nor American. He's always worked his ass off in school so people can't say that he's not smart because of his dad's family. He also speaks English really well 'cause he doesn't want to have an accent when he's around his dad's relatives."

...Oh God... Poor Touya. Hinata felt a pang of guilt and her breath hitched. How could she not see this...?

"You two better save Shiori and Touya," Mikoto said, a threatening edge to her voice. "Or else I'm gonna catch a train to Port Island so I kick both of yer asses!"

"See you, Tatsumi," Riku said dryly.

"Bye."

The screen went blank.

"Your cousin's _nothing _like you," Riku said flatly.

Hinata let out a nervous laugh. She put her laptop aside, stood up, and stretched.

"So..." she began. "Do you think you can help me with English?"

Riku gave her a dry look.

"H-Hey!" she snapped. "At least I know simple algebra!"

"There is nothing _simple _about algebra."

* * *

"So... Shiori-chan hates the pressures that she gets from boys for doing something she loves...?" Kumada-san's eyes narrowed and he scowled. "T-That's just _wrong_! I'm gonna punish the people who made fun of Shiori-chan!"

Riku just raised an eyebrow. Kumada-san acted... childish at times. But then again, Junpei-san was the same way...

"I think I've got something!" Kumada-san suddenly cried, his eyes practically glowing with excitement. "A'right, follow me!" Kumada-san commanded before bounding away.

They followed the blond man to a tower. It somewhat resembled a Buddhist temple. In the sky were emblazoned the words _World 1: The Tower of Terror._

"What is this place...?" Hinata asked, frowning. "The... Tower of Terror...?"

"Okay, listen up!" Kumada-san stepped forward, clasping his hands together. "You two will be exploring and I'll be following at a distance, feeding ya info on the Shadows!"

Riku nodded. "Sounds good, Kumada-san." He reached down, unsheathing his sword.

"You can summon your Persona without any help, right?"

"Yep." Hinata nodded. "Let's do this!" She turned to Riku. "Are you ready?"

"Yes." Riku tightened his grip on his sword. "Let's go."

He took the lead and he heard Hinata following at his heels.

"Be careful around corners!" Kumada-san cautioned them as they approached the end of a corridor, a corner. "Shadows usually lurk there."

Riku just nodded to tell him that he heard. He peeked around the corner, where a Shadow was, its back turned.

He rushed forward, slashing at its back. The Shadow let out a hiss as it split into three. They all resembled... fish.

"They're all Pesces!" Kumada-san shouted. "Shadows all have types... And sometimes they have a common weakness. For example, a lot of Hablerie types are weak to Zio attacks. Just try out something to see what works!"

"Let's do this!" Riku declared. A tarot card appeared in front of him, like how he had summoned Aion in this world before. He destroyed it with a diagonal slash of his sword. "Persona!" Riku felt Aion leave his body, only to reappear in front of him. "Zio!"

An electric bolt struck the nearest Shadow, though the attack barely seemed to faze it.

"It must resist electricity!" Hinata exclaimed. "Let's try Bufu!" She shattered her own card with a clean slice of her naginata. Venus emerged from her body and launched a barrage of ice shards on the same Shadow that Aion had cast Zio on.

It had a better effect than Zio did, but it didn't seem to knock it down, like a move with the affinity that the Shadow was weak to would.

"Got it!" Kumada-san shouted. "It's bear-y weak to wind!"

Riku almost facepalmed at the _awful _pun. But wind...? Aion specialized in electricity so he would have to try a different Persona.

He recalled Aion and summoned Sandman.

"Sandman, Garu!" he shouted.

The red clad Persona waved his hand and a gust of green wind downed the Shadow.

"Do it again!" Hinata exclaimed.

Riku ordered Sandman to cast Garu once again, knocking down the second Shadow.

"Show 'em who's boss!"

"Garu!"

Hinata tightened her grip on her naginata, turning to face him. "Here's our chance to get 'em!"

Riku nodded.

"Let's do this!"

They ran forward, brandishing their weapons. The Shadows were helpless against their full out assault. They all melted into puddles of black ooze.

Hinata braced her naginata on the ground. "Phew!" She pushed her bangs out of her eyes. "Is it me or does this place make you feel tired...?"

"It's not just ya, Hina-chan!" Kumada-san chirped, walking up to them. "The TV world was like that too. It's not like that anymore since it's peaceful now, though."

Riku couldn't help but wonder why Hanamura was stuck in a tower of all things. The first thing that Riku thought of when he heard the word 'tower' was that Western fairy tale with the princess with that impossibly long hair. And Hanamura was the _opposite _of a princess.

"...Let's just get going," Riku said.

They continued fighting their way through the floor. Riku felt mentally drained from all the spell casting he had to do, but some of that was relieved when Kumada-san gave him a couple Soul Drops to chew on.

"Stairs!" Kumada-san cried, pointing in the direction.

"Finally," Hinata groaned.

They hurried up the flight of stairs only to find themselves in a new corridor.

_"Ha..." _a masculine voice sneered. _"What's a little slip of a girl doing here? There's more to kendo than just waving a bokken, y'know." _

_"Shut up!" _Hanamura shouted. There was something odd about her voice. It was more childish and high pitched. It seemed like it belonged to a younger Hanamura. "_I'm not weak! I'll... I'll prove it to all of you!" _

"Shiori-chan?" Hinata called out tentatively.

"Shiori-chan's not here, Hina-chan," Kumada-san said. "It's just... how do I put this... showing you things from her perspective."

"Her perspective..." Hinata murmured, her expression becoming troubled. "We've gotta hurry!"

"Yeah! Shiori-chan will lose control of her repressed self and her Shadow'll appear at this rate!"

"...Shadow...?" Riku questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"It's a _beary _long story." Kumada-san snickered. His cheerful expression then melted away. "But if we don't hurry, the Shadows might go bear-serk on Shiori-chan. We've gotta save her before that!"

"...Can I duct tape his mouth shut yet?" Riku muttered to Hinata.

Hinata smacked him upside on the head, glaring at him. "No! Be more respectful, Riku-kun!"

"What are you two whispering about?" Kumada-san asked. His eyes then went wide. "Ooooh, I know what's going on! Riku said something naughty to try to score and Hina-chan had to punish 'im!"

...Now Riku could see why his father and Minato-san weren't exactly eager to have Kumada-san help them.

"WHAT?!" Hinata shrieked at the top of her lungs, leaping away from Riku. "No, no, _no_! We're just _friends_!"

"Ohhh... So you're friends with benefits?"

"We are _not_!" Hinata screeched out, her face flaming red now. "J-Just c'mon," she snapped at the two of them.

Riku sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

* * *

"An ambush!" Kumada-san cried. "There're three of 'em!"

"Thank you for letting us know that you can count," Riku muttered under his breath.

They were now on the third floor. Riku was starting to feel winded. He had managed to collect a couple more Personas: Ukobach and Pixie. He had noticed a theme with most of the Shadows they had encountered; they all seemed to have some kind of medieval theme...

These Shadows resembled wooden tables, with a mask stamped in the front of each. Above its body were juggled utensils.

"Come, Venus!" Hinata shouted, making a clean slice through her tarot card. The blue skinned Persona launched ice shards at one of the tables.

Riku dismissed Aion and chose Ukobach. "Agi!" he commanded, pointing at the Shadow Hinata had attacked.

The spoon the demon carried grew white hot and the flames exploded in a small inferno, striking the Shadow. It became dust.

A remaining Shadow let out a growl before it released a rainbow colored beam. It seemed to miss Riku, but hit Hinata.

"Wah!" Kumada-san cried, his eyes wide with fear. "Hina-chan's confused!"

...Confused?

"Venus, Bufu!" Hinata summoned her Persona, pointing at Riku.

...Shit.

The ice cut through his clothes and he let out a grunt as he was knocked to the ground. He clutched at his stomach, groaning.

"Hina-chan, snap outta it!" Kumada-san demanded.

Hinata didn't seem to hear him, but she didn't make a move to summon Venus again.

The Shadow somehow let out a dark chuckle. Riku felt his eye twitch. Was a _table _laughing at him?! The other Shadow unleashed a gust of wind. Riku gritted his teeth as the attack hit. His body throbbed with pain, but he had to get up.

He thrust his sword into the ground and tightened his grip on the hilt, hoisting himself up.

"You've gotta heal Hina-chan!" Kumada-san cried.

Riku pulled out a Sedative and ran over to Hinata. He uncorked the bottle and forced Hinata's mouth open, tipping the contents inside.

Hinata let out a cough, rubbing at her eyes. Riku went back to his original spot.

"A'right!" Kumada-san cheered. "Go get 'em!"

* * *

"I'm so sorry!"

Riku sighed. After Hinata had healed him by casting Dia, she started spouting profuse apologies.

"Hinata, it was out of your control. It was not your fault," Riku stated calmly. "I know that you would never purposely try to hurt me."

"You're... not mad?"

"Why would I?" Riku raised an eyebrow at her.

"Because I attacked you?!"

Riku sighed. "Look, Hinata, it's bound to happen. Just quit beating yourself up already."

"That's why it's important for you to carry a lot of items that can fix you up!" Kumada-san added.

"I suppose..." Hinata muttered. She still looked guilty.

Kumada-san suddenly straightened up, letting out a loud gasp.

"What's wrong?" Hinata asked.

"I sense Shiori-chan!" he exclaimed, giving a small hop in excitement. "C'mon!"

He bounded in the direction they were already headed for. Riku glanced at Hinata for a moment before running after the blond man. He had to admit, fighting Shadows was a good workout.

At least he didn't have to worry about getting out of shape.

Kumada-san skidded to a stop in front of an elaborate door. It was wooden and a gold knocker, shaped like a dragon.

"Are you ready?!" Kumada-san asked.

"I am," Riku said. "What about you, Hinata?"

"Yeah!" Hinata nodded.

Riku stepped forward and pushed against the door. It took a while but it creaked open.

The three of them rushed inside, with its only occupant waiting for them.

"Ooooh, what do we have here?" Hanamura said, putting a hand on her hip. At least Riku _thought _that it was Hanamura. She was wearing sleek silver and white armor that vaguely reminded Riku of what samurai from the Edo period wore, except that she wore no helmet. Her red streaked brown hair was pulled in a severe top knot, held in place with a black scrap of fabric. "More challengers?!"

Her eyes gleamed with predatory glee and she excitedly gripped the hilt of her sheathed sword.

Her eyes were... unnerving. Instead of Hanamura's usual brown eyes, they were red.

"Challengers...?" Hinata inquired with a frown. "What do you mean by that?"

Hanamura - or whoever she was - huffed. "I've gotta get stronger, as strong as possible... and you won't give me that. So... see ya!"

She then took off, running deeper into the dungeon.

"Hey, wait!" Hinata shouted but she had disappeared in the shadowy halls.

"What _was _that?" Riku asked incredulously. Okay, yeah, Hanamura had her quirks, but talking about challengers and getting strong...? What was that about?

"This isn't good..." Kumada-san bit his lip. "Shiori-chan lost control of her suppressed self and it's now a Shadow!"

"What _is _a 'suppressed self'?" Hinata asked.

"It's the feelings that you bottle up and hide from everyone. Me and most of my friends got our Personas that way..." His expression became determined and his hands curled into fists. "We've gotta hurry! Shiori-chan's Shadow will try to get her to deny it. And then it'll kill her if that happens!"

"What?!" Hinata cried. She was already running after the Shadow.

"Hinata!" Riku shouted after her. He muttered a curse before chasing after her.

"Heeeey, wait for me!" Kumada-san cried.

* * *

Hinata leaned against the wall, wincing at the throbbing pain in her abdomen. Riku summoned a Persona that Hinata had never seen before. It resembled a fairy.

"Pixie, Dia," he ordered, calm as always. The Persona made a small twirl in the air and Hinata felt a warm sensation surround her body. She could feel the throbbing lessen.

"There," Riku said, smiling slightly.

Hinata couldn't help but wonder why Riku almost never smiled fully. It was always guarded, closed off. He smiled more around his siblings and parents, but still, Hinata wanted to make him smile too.

"Thanks, Riku-kun."

"Any time." Riku rummaged through their supplies, popping another Soul Drop in his mouth.

"If you're too tired, maybe we should go back," Kumada-san tentatively suggested. "You're both looking tired..."

"B-But..." Hinata straightened up only for her legs to start wobbling. Riku quickly reached out to steady her by holding onto her shoulder.

"See?" Kumada-san put his hand on his hips. "I know you're worried about Shiori-chan, but we can't have you collapsing! We should go back and rest. Riku, you have a Goho-M, right?"

"There has to be a time limit..." Hinata muttered. "What if we're too late...!"

"The Shadows aren't _that _agitated," Kumada-san stated. "They're really calm, actually. And that means they can't harm her for now. So Shiori-chan should be safe for now."

The Lost _had _to be connected to this world. But if it was, then how were the Lost popping out...? Or was this not connected at all?

"You can't say that yet, Kumada-san," Riku suddenly spoke up. "Yes, there are similarities to the world where you and your friends fought Shadows. But we cannot assume anything. Not yet." He sighed heavily. "I don't even know if the Lost are even connected to this world..." He looked frustrated and irritated at the same time...

He looked down at her - but then again, _everyone _was taller than her. Even Mikoto, who was a year younger than Hinata, was taller than her.

"Hanamura or Amagi wouldn't want us to risk our skins. Kumada-san's right. We should go home for the night and rest up. We'll come back tomorrow night, I promise."

"...Okay..." Hinata said reluctantly. She poked him in the stomach. "You better keep your promise!"

Riku just rolled his eyes at her. He used the Goho-M to return all three of them to the entrance.

"All right, let's go back!" Kumada-san declared.

Riku nodded.

They trekked back to the reverse Paulownia Mall. Then... Riku started to act oddly. He walked to the alley stuck between the pharmacy and the police station.

"Riku-kun?" Hinata caught up to him, waving a hand in front of his eyes. For some reason, Riku was staring at the wall...

* * *

Riku felt exhausted, but he felt the Velvet Room key grow hot in his pocket. He saw a blue glow in the reverse alley. It was like... it was trying to summon him.

Before he knew it, he was walking toward the glowing blue door, vaguely aware of Hinata's attempts to get his attention.

He could access the Velvet Room here too, then?

He pulled out the key from his school jacket and inserted it into the lock. He opened the door.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room." Octavia stood in her usual spot, holding a leather bound tome.

She was the only one in the room other than Riku, as Igor was nowhere to be seen.

"You look shocked, Master Riku," she chuckled. "I am sure there is a meaning behind our meeting alone."

...Okay then.

"May I show you something?"

"Sure...?" Riku asked uncertainly.

Octavia lifted the heavy book higher. "This is the Persona Compendium which was under the care of my predecessor. Even she had a bond with the previous Wild Card." She opened it.

Intrigued, Riku came closer. It was a picture of two teenage boys, probably around Riku's age. They were standing on a hill. The shorter of the two reminded Riku of Hanamura. He had the same ridiculously carefree smile and the same eyes. The taller had silver hair, like Riku's grandfather did, even in his youth, and gray eyes. The picture was moving, as if it was a movie scene.

Puzzled, Riku looked up, giving the gold eyed woman a questioning look.

"This is a recording of the bonds that your predecessor, Narukami Yu, had forged during his own journey," Octavia explained.

Octavia produced another, albeit smaller, book.

"This is yours."

She opened it, revealing a scene where Riku clasped Hinata's hand when they vowed to rescue Hanamura and Amagi.

"Master Riku, you must understand... bonds must be felt equally on both sides for you to harness its power. Social Links are not meant for abuse. Bonds are essential to make life worth _living. _Without bonds... you are empty." She smiled sadly.

Riku just stared at her. How had she known his thoughts about Social Links...? And why did he get this feeling that she spoke from _experience_?

"I see," he murmured. "Thank you, Octavia."

Octavia smiled warmly at him, a genuine smile. "It is nothing, Master Riku. We are here to serve you."

_Thou art I... and I am thou. Thou hast established a new bond. Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Moon Arcana. _

"And if it's not too much," Octavia began, "I would like to see the sights of your... 'city'? I will inform you when I have some free time from my duties."

"Well, I guess that'll be fine." Riku managed a smile and then he nodded. "I look forward to it, Octavia-san."

"Excellent."

Octavia... Just who _was _she?

He bowed slightly. "I have to go for now," he said.

"Until we see each other again."

He exited the Velvet Room only to find himself in the reverse alley. He blinked a few times to reorient himself.

"Are you feeling okay, Riku-kun?" Hinata asked, frowning. "Is there something wrong? You just walked over here and then you just zoned out..."

"...Yeah, I'm fine," Riku said. "Let's just go home."

* * *

_Saturday, 15 April, 2043._

"NII-SAN! _GET UP_!"

Riku let out a groan, burying his face in the pillow as Haru yanked away his blanket.

"I _will _dump cold water on you if you don't get up in five seconds," Haru threatened, impatiently tapping his foot. "Five-"

"Okay, okay, I'm up," Riku said grumpily, tiredly rubbing at his eyes.

"Jeez, nii-san, what were you _doing_?" Haru huffed out as Riku clambered out of the bed and grabbed his school uniform, which he had thrown on his chair last night.

"Homework," he said dryly as he grabbed a comb from his dresser and tugging it through his knotted hair.

"Sure, sure," Haru grumbled as he left the room.

Riku ran into the bathroom. After taking care of his hygiene needs first, he quickly changed into his school uniform. As he went downstairs, he smoothed out the wrinkles and tugged at his uniform to make himself look more presentable.

"You're late," Nanako said mildly as he took his usual spot.

"Sorry," Riku apologized. "I just went to bed late last night..."

"Hmmm." Nanako turned to her attention to Kairi, who was wolfing down her breakfast. "Kairi-chan, chew first."

The little girl mumbled an apology before slowing down.

After finishing up breakfast, Riku took the boxed lunch that his mother made for him and then he grabbed his school bag. He was putting on his shoes when Kairi bounded up to him. Haru followed, but he was calmer.

The walk to the train was brisk. They managed to barely make it on time.

Riku stared out the window. He knew that he promised Hinata that they would go back inside the MMORPG tonight, but he couldn't help but wonder... would they be able to save Hanamura?

But then he remembered the look, the _pain _on Sousuke-san's face. They _had _to save Hanamura, if only for Sousuke-san's sake.

No older sibling should have to go through knowing that their younger sibling was in danger and they were powerless to do anything...

He glanced over at his two younger siblings. Haru seemed to be pretending to listen to Kairi; he would nod ever so often at their little sister's babbling about that magical girl detective series.

He now had this power, the power of Persona... He would do whatever it took to protect them.

* * *

It was English class now... Riku leaned forward, resting his cheek against the palm of his hand.

His eyelids drooped. The exploration of the Tower of Terror was really... draining. Riku still felt tired even though he had managed to drink some tea this morning, which usually woke him up.

Odagiri-sensei snapped his book shut. "How about... Amada!"

Riku jumped before he stood up from his seat. He could hear snickers from his classmates.

"Look alive, Amada," Odagiri-sensei berated him, looking at him sternly. "Now then... What is the difference between _who _and _whom_?"

"Who is a subjective pronoun, which is the same as 'he' or 'she' while whom is an objective pronoun, the same as 'it' or 'him' or 'she'."

"Excellent!" Odagiri-sensei looked pleased. "Now pay attention, I _may _put some of the things I mention on the exam next month."

"Impressive!" a classmate remarked.

"Even after nearly falling asleep..." another murmured.

Answering the question made Riku feel more... charming yet again. He guessed that answering questions in class did have its benefits.

* * *

It was finally after school.

After visiting the Velvet Room briefly to fuse some Personas, he headed back inside to talk to Hinata.

Hinata was sitting at her desk, putting away her things.

"Oh, hey, Riku-kun!" she greeted him, looking as cheerful as usual. "Do you have any free time today? I want to talk."

Riku hesitated for a moment. He still didn't like the idea of using Social Links as power... But he then recalled Octavia's words...

"Sure."

"Great!" Hinata beamed at him. She grabbed his wrist and started to pull him out of the classroom.

Using his free hand, Riku rubbed the back of his neck. Urgh... His muscles were still sore from last night.

"Hey, are you okay?" Hinata asked, turning to face him. "You look like you're hurt."

"I'm still... sore from last night..."

"Last night?" A girl in a school uniform came closer. "Why, Hinata-chan, how come you didn't tell us you had a boyfriend? And with a newcomer, too!"

"It's not what it looks like, Emi!" Hinata protested, dropping his wrist like a sack of potatoes.

"Yeah, right," the girl laughed, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "You two are totally-"

"We're just _friends_!" Hinata practically yelled. "J-Just stop assuming things... Besides, I have no time for a boyfriend... I have Gymnastics, schoolwork, and I want to keep up with my drawings... I have too much on my plate."

"You've gotta let out tension some way."

...He was so done.

"That's why I have drawing!" Hinata protested. "L-Look, I'm just gonna go."

And before Riku could blink, Hinata was dragging him out of the school. She didn't stop until they reached the gates.

"Ugh... Emi's so boy obsessed," she muttered.

"...Who was she?"

"O-Oh... She's the vice captain of the Gymnastics team..." Hinata sighed. "...I hate it when they ask me those kind of questions..."

"How come?" Riku asked.

"They're all so nosy..." Hinata sighed. "And they kept asking me about you on the first day. Ugh... It's so annoying."

"Just make something up." Riku shrugged. "It would be better to tell them _something_ than to just brush them off."

Hinata... What had she been up to the year that his family was in America...?

Hinata pursed her lips. "I suppose... I just don't want to deal with their gossiping, ahahaha..." She fiddled with her braid, running her hand over her hair ribbon. "I'm just sorry that I have to drag you in the mess."

Riku answered, "I don't mind. Let them talk."

Hinata blinked in surprise before smiling up at him. She really looked nice when she smiled. Her entire face lit up and her features became softer. "Thanks, Riku-kun..."

"It's no problem."

The same voice from before echoed in his mind. _Thou art I... and I am thou... Your bond hast strengthened.. Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Temperance Arcana. _

So their relationship was stronger now, huh? Riku still felt _weird _about Social Links, but he remembered Octavia's words... He would have to trust her...

* * *

Riku dropped down to duck the fireballs the Shadow had spat at him. It resembled a traditional witch, with a black pointy hat, green skin, and it even had a _broom_.

"Valkyrie!" Riku summoned the Persona of the Strength Arcana. "Arm Chopper!"

She leapt into action, swinging her two silver rapiers in perfect synchronization. She knocked the Shadow to the ground.

"Let's do this!" Hinata commanded. "Bufu!" Venus launched an ice attack with a simple wave of her hand. The Shadow let out a screech as it turned to black dust.

"Hey, there's the stairs!" Kumada-san pointed in the northern direction. "Come on!"

They ran up the flight of stairs. When they reached the top, Hanamura's voice rang out, like before.

_No... A true warrior shouldn't feel so... so... _

"So _what_?"

"It doesn't matter, Kumada-san," Riku said. "We need to focus on finding Hanamura. We can ask her questions after that."

"I guess you're right..."

Riku continued to lead their small party through the winding paths of the tower as he and Hinata fought the Shadows.

He had obtained a few more Personas from the fights, as well: Senri, Cu Sith, and Lilim. He also sensed that he had reached his limit in summoning Personas...

As they continued to scale the tower, they found out more about what was bugging Hanamura.

"_I... I can't lose! I'll prove that girls are just as- no, we're stronger than boys!" _

"_Ha... Do you have a thing for boobs, Hanamura?" _a boy asked as they reached the fifth floor. "_Heh... Maybe that's why you're so good with a sword." _

"_Shut up!" _Hanamura's voice echoed in the hallway.

"_Some girls are always asking me why I hang out with Touya-kun... Why? And why do they always bring up kendo...?" _

"_Nobody understands me... Not Sou-nii, Hayate, or Kaito... Not Mom and Dad... Why am I so weak? Why do I let everything bother me so much?" _

Hanamura's voice was so _broken_. It was jarring to compare the Hanamura Riku thought he had known to the girl whose insecurities were symbolized in this tower...

Kumada-san looked horrified and _guilty _by some of the things they heard.

"Kumada-san...?" Hinata asked tentatively. "Are you okay?"

The blond man started to nod before vehemently shaking his head. "No... I'm _not _okay, Hina-chan." His bottom lip quivered. "How did we never see this...?"

Hinata opened her mouth to say something but quickly shut it.

"...Kumada-san," Riku said, stepping forward, "everything will be all right. Hanamura wouldn't tell you everything about her, even if you were the one she trusted the most in this world."

"I guess you're right..." Kumada-san nodded. "We need to save her ASAP!"

"Right..." Riku agreed. "Let's go."

* * *

They finally reached a much more elaborate door. It was sealed with a wooden bolt.

"Shiori-chan's inside!" Kumada-san exclaimed. "Are you ready, you two?!"

"Let's do this!"

The three of them ran into the room. It looked like a room of worship, with porcelain statues of historical figures, all war heroes. Hanamura was sprawled on the floor by an altar; she looked exhausted. Her light brown hair stuck up everywhere and her clothes were torn.

Her Shadow stood over her, a sneer twisting her mouth.

"Urgh..." Hanamura winced, reaching up with one hand to press against her forehead. "W-What are you..."

The Shadow ignored her, turning to looking at the three of them.

"Shiori-chan!" Kumada-san called out to Hanamura.

Hanamura let out a weak cough. "U..." Her voice sounded scratchy, as if she hadn't talked for a while. She staggered to her feet. "Uncle Ted...?"

"Oh, sure," Shadow Hanamura drawled, her lip curling, "depend on a _man _to help you, huh? God, you make me so _sick_!"

"What are you...?"

"Hanamura Shiori," Shadow Hanamura drew out with a sneer. "Such a _feminine _name. Ha! Like anyone would mistake you to be a delicate flower... right, _Hana-chan_?! That was what Hiro-kun used to call you, right?" The Shadow snorted, putting a hand on her hip. "Tch... Men are so unreliable. They're either assholes or if you find a good one, they just drop you like a sack of potatoes."

Her expression was so _bitter_. What... had Hanamura gone through to _think _that?

"What are you..." Hanamura clenched her hands into fists. "Stop it! Stop saying that _crap _with _my _face!"

"Yes, yes, _do _try to threaten me into silence," the Shadow drawled with another sneer. "That's worked before - oh wait, it never did. But then again, who _would _listen to a girl who's got nothing going for her but a knack of bashing up people with a wooden stick?"

Hanamura squeezed her eyes shut, clamping her hands over her eyes. "Shut _up_! How dare you..."

"I want to be a knight who saves people! You've always loved hearing about tales of samurai... And if your ancestors were samurai... why not you? They're just stories and only you being so utterly _idiotic _would believe they're true!"

"SHUT UP!" Hanamura shrieked, clamping her hands over her ears. "Just shut up already!"

"Shiori-chan, it's-" Hinata began.

"No!" Hanamura covered her face with both hands. "Don't... Don't you dare look at me!"

"You're nothing but a scared little girl," Shadow Hanamura taunted with a smirk. "Look, you just wanna hide away! But you can never run from the truth! You, a _hero_?" She let out a laugh; it was nothing like Hanamura's laugh. It was grating on the nerves and it sent a shiver down Riku's spine. "Isn't that why you keep on trying to defend Touya-kun, right? It makes you feel sooooo good when you beat up them, right? It's the only 'approriate' time to beat on boys, right?!"

Hanamura adamantly shook her head. "T-That's n-not true... I defend Touya-kun because o-of..."

"I know _everything _about you, little Hana-chan," the Shadow jeered. "And the truth is that you envy Touya-kun for being a _male _and you hate him for not having the backbone to make use of it! And how do I know this? It's because I'm _you_!"

"Shut the _hell _up!" Hanamura snapped, finally exploding. "Stop spouting that _bullshit _with _my_ face!" This just elicited more cruel laughter from the Shadow.

Kumada-san cried out, "Wait, Shiori-chan...! Stop!"

"YOU'RE NOT ME!" Hanamura shrieked at the top of her lungs, completely ignoring Kumada-san.

The air temperature suddenly spiked. Riku felt sweat beading on his forehead. Did this mean that this Shadow had an affinity for fire, then? This couldn't be good for Hinata...

Some parts of the floor darkened to black, all of them spots. Hanamura's Shadow started to laugh again, the sound high pitched and maniacal.

"Yes..." she hissed. "I can _finally _be me again!"

Shadows started to rise from the dark spots. They all resembled the black blobs that Shadows were compressed into, unless engaged in a battle.

Aion was reacting badly against the sudden influx of Shadows, pounding in Riku's head. Riku clutched his forehead, grunting a little.

They started to gather around Shadow Hanamura before a bright light engulfed them. When it faded, Shadow Hanamura had been completely transformed.

She stood a little over three meters. Her face was hidden by a mask that resembled a yin-yang symbol, except the colors were pink and blue instead of black and white. She sat on a throne of black metal, with intricate designs of various weapons: axes, sickles, swords and clubs. In one hand, she held an especially large, curved sword. It had to be at least a meter long.

"I am a Shadow... the _true _self," she hissed out. "And I'll crush anyone who stands in my way!"

"This is it, guys!" Kumada-san shouted. "Be careful, Hina-chan. I can smell fire from her!"

"Thanks!" Hinata adjusted her grip on her naginata, a determined look forming on her face.

Ukobach would probably be useless against her... His eyes fell on Hinata.

"Archangel!" He summoned the armor clad angel. "Red Wall!"

A red glow surrounded Hinata. There. For a time, Hinata would resist fire attacks.

"Thanks, Riku-kun!" Hinata summoned Venus with a quick slash of her naginata. "Bufu!"

The ice shards striked the Shadow right in the chest and she toppled off her throne.

"Let's go for an All Out Attack!" Hinata exclaimed, turning to face Riku.

Riku nodded. "Let's do this!"

Brandishing their weapons, they stormed the Shadow and attacking her with all of their might.

"Hmph. I'll show you my _true _power!" the Shadow growled, heaving herself up. "No more holding back!" She slammed her sword to the ground and a tremor in the earth sent both him and Hinata flying. She then repeated that action, this time a pale blue light surrounding her body.

Riku gritted his teeth as he staggered to his feet. He dismissed Archangel and summoned Aion in her place. "Persona!" He destroyed the tarot card. Aion rose above his head. "Double Fangs!"

Aion leapt into the air, dive bombing at the Shadow, sinking its teeth in her. The Shadow let out a shriek of pain.

"My turn!" Hinata declared. "Persona!" Venus rose from her body, brandishing her knives. "Double Shot!"

"Hmph." The Shadow simply blocked Venus's attack by lifting her sword and pushing the Persona away. Hinata let out a shriek as she was sent flying again.

"Archangel!" Riku quickly sent the Persona to catch Hinata.

"You're such pains in the ass," the Shadow sneered. "God, just get out of my way so I can kill the other me!"

"NO!" Hinata jumped to the ground, tumbling in a roll as she landed. "You won't! I won't _let _you!"

"How can you still bear to defend her?!" Shadow Hanamura spat out. "She's a _bitch_!"

"You represent her darkest feelings, her bitterness, her jealousy!" Riku snapped. "You're not all that Hanamura is!"

No matter how annoying Hanamura was, Riku couldn't be blind to her good side.

"How can you know the good side of Shiori-chan?!" Hinata continued. "I haven't known her for long, but what I have seen of her has shown me that she's a good person! So what if she feels jealous toward Amagi-kun?!"

"Shut your mouth, both of you! I'll burn you to a crisp!" Shadow Hanamura was absolutely seething. Fire was forming around her in a perfect circle.

"Hina-chan, run for it!" Kumada-san shrieked at her.

Hinata let out a cry of pain as the flames exploded, hitting both of them. She was knocked to the ground, panting heavily.

"This is my strength!" the Shadow shrieked. Another wave of flames washed over them. Riku felt his energy drain away from him. He clutched at his sword.

"Archangel!" Riku summoned the Justice Persona once more. "Media!"

A blue glow surrounded both of them. Riku still felt somewhat sore and stiff in the legs, but it was better than before.

"C'mon, Hina-chan, get up!" Kumada-san cried out to her.

The Shadow sent another tremor through the ground, but this time Riku was ready. He slammed the sword in the ground so that it acted as an anchor. The shockwave was powerful and he had to really cling onto his weapon.

Hinata wasn't as lucky and she was sent tumbling through the air. Riku winced as she hit the ground with a sickening sound.

"Kumada-san, help Hinata!" Riku ordered. He dismissed Archangel once again before summoning Cu Sith. "Garu!"

The gust of wind just worked to irritate the Shadow. He glanced quickly at Hinata. Blood was trickling slowly down from her temple to her cheek, but she was somehow on her feet.

"My turn!" Hinata shouted. "Let's do this, Venus!"

Venus launched another Bufu, but this time it was focused on the floor, aiming for the throne. This caused the metal contraption to topple, sending the Shadow tumbling.

"Let's go all out!"

Riku nodded.

"All right!"

They charged forward and using their weapons, they attacked Shadow Hanamura viciously.

The image of Shadow Hanamura started to flicker and the throne disappeared and the Shadow's body began to shift, reverting to its humanoid form.

Riku staggered over to Hinata. She was practically swaying on the spot, so he reached out to steady her by putting one arm around her waist. With his free hand, he pulled out a medicine and applied it to her. Hinata let out a sigh of relief as the medicine started to work on her wounds.

Kumada-san was kneeling on the ground, using his lap as a pillow for Hanamura.

"Good job, you two!" he said cheerfully.

"Ngggh..." Hanamura raised her head, pressing a hand to her temples. She grimaced. "Crap... I feel like a bulldozer hit my head..." She fully sat up, blinking at Kumada-san. "Uncle... Ted...? What are you doing here? I thought that you and Aunt Labrys and Rin were still at the c-" She cut herself off when she caught sight of her Shadow. The color drained out of her face. "...No," she breathed out, squeezing her eyes shut. "No, no, _no_..." She adamantly shook her head. "T-That's not... it's not..."

"Shiori-chan," Kumada-san said softly. "Look at me."

Hanamura remained in the position she was in for a long time but she opened her eyes.

"It's okay. Both Yosuke and Chie-chan faced their Shadows, as did Nao-chan and Rise-chan and Kanji and me. I know what it's like. But you have to accept your Shadow or it'll try to kill you again."

Hanamura bit her bottom lip, chewing on it. "Damn..." she choked out. "It _hurts _to face your other self."

"Hanamura," Riku stated.

"What?"

"Your Shadow is not all there is to you. You're still friends with Amagi, aren't you?"

"H-Huh?" Hanamura looked up, her eyes wide with confusion. "What do you mean...?"

"Your Shadow brought up Amagi before," Riku replied. "Maybe part of the reason you always stuck up for him was because you liked the feeling of being strong, but it doesn't change the fact that you're his friend, first."

"You're... right..." Hanamura said slowly. She quietly chuckled. "Heh... It must be real obvious, huh?" She turned to face her Shadow.

She bit her lip, chewing on it for a moment.

"Yeah... you're me. All I wanted was to be strong. I felt so weak whenever I heard another person tell me to act like a "girl". But I hated the feeling so I buried you so deeply that I thought I'd never see you again. Ha... I'm such a spineless coward." Hanamura inhaled deeply, looking down to the ground. "In a way, I'm jealous of Touya-kun. I hate it when I see people pick on him because it reminds me of the things _I _go through." Hanamura lifted her head, meeting her Shadow's eyes. "But now I realize, I can't run anymore! I have to face my problems." Hanamura noticeably swallowed. "You are me."

The Shadow just nodded before disappearing into blue mist. She reappeared above Shiori's head, completely transformed.

It was a tanned woman with a brilliant red mane of hair with a gold headpiece completely covering her forehead, pinning it back. Her facial features was noticeably cat-like. She also had a golden tail with a brown tuft at the end. Gold, close fitting armor with shoulder guards covered her torso. Simple brown pants covered her legs. A black symbol was emblazoned on her chest; it resembled an eye. She carried a scimitar, the curved blade silver and the hilt gold with red rubies studded on it.

_Thou art I... and I am thou. I am Sekhmet, goddess of the sun, desert, warfare, and avenger of Ra. _

She transformed into a blue tarot card, floating downward. Hanamura clasped the card and a blue glow surrounded her. She started to sway on the spot before she collapsed to the ground. Hinata managed to catch her but since Hinata was so short, she nearly fell down from Hanamura's weight. Riku pulled her off of Hinata.

Kumada-san grimaced. "She just awakened... We should carry her out as soon as possible."

"Urgh... I'm not a little kid anymore, Uncle Ted," Hanamura grumbled. "I can walk just fine."

"Nonsense!" Kumada-san grabbed her by the waist and cheerfully threw her over his shoulder.

"Hey!" Hanamura yelled. "Oi, I'm wearing a _skirt_!"

"You're wearing shorts underneath, aren't ya?" was the cheery reply.

"That's not the point!" Hanamura shouted. "Do you treat Aunt Labrys like this?!"

"Maybe~" Kumada-san laughed. "Labby-chan likes it rough~"

...He really did _not _need to hear that.

Hinata let out a nervous giggle as Riku rolled his eyes. "I don't even want to meet Hanamura's parents," he muttered. "They're probably as crazy as Hanamura and Kumada-san."

This earned him another smack from Hinata.

The trek back to the portal was slow, since Kumada-san was carrying Hanamura on his back despite her (loud) protests.

"Amagi-kun is still trapped in here somewhere," Hinata murmured to him. She was frowning. "But where is he...?"

"We can worry about that later." Riku sighed. "I'm beat."

"Yeah..." Hinata sighed. Her hands went to her scarf and she started to inspect it. "Phew," she breathed out. "I'm just glad that my scarf survived."

"Why do you even have that? You've had that since we were kids."

"I don't know..." Hinata admitted. "I'm just... attached to it, I guess. My dad gave it to me when I was young and he told me that he made it himself."

Riku could relate to that. Almost unconsciously, he reached for the Celtic knot necklace that his dad had given him as a present on his thirteenth birthday. The superstition that it would protect him the more he wore it, but he still wore it anyways.

"Do you think that Shiori-chan should join us...?" Hinata asked him, a frown deepening on her lips. "I mean, I don't want her to get into any trouble but..."

"...Amagi is still in here," Riku finished for her. "She's not going to stand by and just let us rescue him by ourselves."

"What are you two waiting for?!" Kumada-san suddenly yelled at them. "Let's goooo already!"

"Okay, okay!" Hinata shouted back at him.

* * *

Riku tumbled to the ground, nearly banging his head on the table. He was steadied by the shoulders.

"Welcome back," Minato-san said dryly. "I see the mission was successful."

Hinata was next to emerge from the television.

"So this is your classmate?" Minato-san asked, looking down at Hanamura.

"Dad," Hinata began, "she's a Persona user now. What-"

"She has no choice now then," Minato-san said, smiling grimly. "She'll be involved whether she likes it or not." His voice was etched with pain as he squeezed his eyes shut.

Minato... _Minako_... Riku whipped around, looking at Hinata. Why... hadn't he seen it _before_?! Hinata resembled the auburn haired, red eyed girl from the photo she had shown him a while back, facially wise. Hinata's older sister, Aimi's auburn hair. Her older brother, Kiyoshi's scarlet eyes.

Minato-san was _Minako's _brother. Riku guessed that they were twins, since they had looked the same age.

"Dad..." Hinata began, "it'll be _okay_. Really!"

"You can't know that for sure." Minato-san's voice was so _bitter_. He shook his head as he reopened his eyes. "Set up the guest futons for Teddie-san and Shiori. They'll be staying here the night, since I doubt that they have the keys to Sousuke's apartment and Sousuke's asleep."

"Okay." Hinata scampered off to follow her father's order. Kumada-san went after her, still carrying Hanamura.

"...Riku."

"Yes?" he asked the older man.

"Please... look after Hinata. God knows that she inherited Yukari's obstinacy. I know she can protect herself, but I would feel better if..."

Riku bowed his head. "I'll do my best, Minato-san," he murmured.

Minato-san smiled. "Thank you. You don't know how much this means to me..."

...What else were their parents hiding from them...?

Either way, Riku was too tired to make much of what was going on.

Minato-san drove him back home. After thanking him, Riku climbed the steps that led to his home, unlocked the front door, and headed upstairs. After he changed out of his school uniform and stowed away his sword, he collapsed into bed, falling fast asleep.

* * *

**Guest: Don't worry, you'll see how others experience the Anima Legend, I promise! Just not in this mini intro arc, but it'll happen! As for Ken... well, it has to do with Riku, that's all I'm gonna say. I'll be including brief descriptions for the canon Personas but my original Personas will have more info on them simply because they come from my head and you have no reference.**

* * *

#1: 12,000 yen is equivalent to about 117.19 US dollars.

* * *

Academics: Hare-brained (Level 1/5)

Charm: Lackluster (Level 1/5)

Courage: Scaredy-cat (Level 1/5)

* * *

**HAPPY HOLIDAYS, EVERYONE! This is my present to you! (Though FF nearly ruined this with its derping AGH) **

**Sooooo, Shiori has been rescued! And you got to meet Mikoto Tatsumi, Kanji and Naoto's fifteen year old daughter.**

**Not too many Social Links yet, but they're coming! After this arc is complete, the story will switch to character interaction and more Social Links, plus some more plot progress~ **

**Anyways, who's pumped for the new Persona games coming out next year? I know I am! I'll try my best to incorporate things from P4A2, Persona Q, and P4D but no promises. **

**Please, review! **


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